


The Last Door on the Left

by demonprincess7



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: 19th Century Europe, Bratty Buffy, Domestic Violence, Insane Buffy, Italy, Kidnapping, Killing, Mentions of Rape, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prekian demons, Psychic Abilities, Ritual Sacrifice, Time Travel, Vampire Buffy, Violence, Wolfram & Hart, demon amulets, mentions of torture, vengance demon, visions of the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-23
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2017-12-09 08:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 48,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/771915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonprincess7/pseuds/demonprincess7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An enemy from Angel and Spike's past comes back to haunt them. The Immortal having kidnapped Buffy, has decided to tip the boys off to her disappearance. What will become of the slayer now the Immortal has gotten his questionably evil hands on her? Revision of Angel S5: E20. Written for a prompt. Not quiet as dark as the warnings make it sound though they do still apply.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Are We There Yet?

Angel was sitting in his office in Wolfram & Hart reading over a rather boring file on the LA Sadecki Demons. They had a meeting on Wednesday that he needed to prepare for. His team would have to be all vampire lawyers, since Sadecki demons are telepathic and it’s hard for a lawyer to deal with someone who’s reading their mind. Angel set the file down and gazed out the window into the bright sunlight. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the feel of warmth or the sight of the sunrise. All those centuries of hiding in the shadows, it was almost as if he’d forgotten how pleasant it could be.

 

There was light knock at the door and Angel yelled for Harmony to come in. “Morning, boss,” She said as she entered. “I have your blood for you,” She set the mug on his desk. “You have a 1 O’clock with the vampire clan that has been stealing children and 4 O’clock with a Codger demon asking for our protection from a Hellbeast.” She was about to walk out the door when she remembered something. “Also there’s a package for you from Italy, should I bring it in or do you want the Magic and Curses department to look it over first?”

 

“Just bring it in here. I’ll open it myself,” Angel said sounding a bit uninterested.

 

“You got it, boss.” She left and came back a moment later carrying a small rectangular package. She set it on the desk in front of him and left. As she was walking out of the door, Spike pushed passed her and entered the office. Harmony rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her.

 

“I’m bored. Got any demons that need killing?” Spike asked as he strode over to Angel’s desk and sat down on the edge. “Ooh, what’s that? It’s got my name on it,” Spike said reaching for the package.

 

Angel snatched it first. “It does not.” He looked at the label. “Oh.” Spike raised an eyebrow.

 

“So you gonna open that thing or what? Since it’s addressed to both of us, I vote open it. It’s got to be more interesting than babysitting Illyra while she mopes about being defeated and limited and all that rot.”

 

Angel rolled his eyes and sliced the box open with his letter opener. He opened it up and looked inside. It was a VHS tape. Unlabeled and unwrapped, but looked like it had come from a video camera.

 

While Angel wasn’t looking, Spike had snatched his mug and gulped down half of the blood. He spoke around a mouthful, “A video tape? How ominous,” He scoffed.

 

Angel ignored him and grabbed the tape, heading for his personal elevator. Spike followed his and they went up to Angel’s apartment. He put the tape in the player and turned on the TV. They sat down and watched.

 

The screen was black, but in the corner, the time stamp was dated one week earlier shortly after 2 am. Someone pulled the lens cap off of the camera, and the boys could see Buffy. She was tied tightly down to a very large and very ornate bed. Her body was covered in bruises, making it clear that she’d put up quite a fight before finding herself in this situation. Someone had made her up to look like an 18th century whore. Her hair was done in a messy bun and she wore a headpiece of pearl beads. Her face was covered in a white powder and a bright purple eye shadow; her cheeks were a brilliant red.

 

A familiar being walked on screen and smiled at the camera. The Immortal. A shared enemy of both Spike and Angel. His favorite game was to steal their woman away whenever they visit Italy. Buffy must have caught his attention when she moved there. She must have told him no. He must have noticed both Angel and Spike’s claim marks on her.

 

“No!” Spike shouted and jumped to his feet. A growl tore from Angel’s throat. They both watched with wide eyes as she was raped and slowly tortured. Her screams would haunt their nightmares. The tape ended and Angel stood slowly. They were both in game face, and Angel wore a vicious look that Spike hadn’t seen since Angelus. Spike’s face mirrored Angel’s.

 

***

 

“Harmony, tell them to get the jet ready. I’m taking a trip to Italy,” Angel told his assistant over the phone.

 

“ _We_ are taking a trip. I’m going to,” Spike said.

 

“No you’re not,” Angel said firmly as he packed a few favored weapons. He pulled on his leather jacket.

 

“Yes I am. Buffy is in trouble and we don’t even know if she’ll be alive when we get there-“

 

“Of course she will be. We’ll make it before he kills her.” Angel like he was trying to convince himself more than Spike.

 

“Right.” The phone rang and Spike picked it up. He listened for a minute before hanging up. “That was Harmony. The jets ready, we should get going.” The elevator seemed to be moving especially slow today, and Spike ground his teeth in anticipation.

 

“Come on!” Angel yelled. “Stupid contraption.” Spike nodded his agreement. Any number of things could happen to Buffy before they got there. Things worse than they’d already seen. They tried not to think about how they were a week late in saving her and how there was no way they would find her in once piece. They reached the ground floor and ran to the back of the building to the hangars. Once on the jet, they both tried to relax a little, but with Buffy in clutches of the Immortal, it was impossible.

 

The jet took off. Angel busied himself looking through his big bag of weapons. Spike thought it looked more like he was developing a plan to use each one of them more than taking inventory. Spike started drinking, and once he started, he couldn’t stop. There wasn’t exactly an endless supply of alcohol on the plane and he soon finished off the last bottle much to his displeasure.

 

“Remember last time we were in Italy?” Angel said.

 

“Like it was yesterday,” Spike said. “That nightclub in the 50’s, now that was fun.”

 

“Wait, I wasn’t in Italy in the 50’s.”

 

“Oh, right. Guess you weren't. Really missed out.”

 

“Guess so. Sounds a lot better than when I remember it.”

 

“1894?”

 

“The Room of Pain.”

 

“That bleedin’ bastard,” Spike growled.

 

“Save it for when we get to Italy.”

 

“How much longer, til we get there?”

 

“Few hours.”

 

Spike sighed. A few minutes later he asked, “How much longer?”

 

“About five minutes less than the last time you asked.”

 

“Oh.” He fidgeted a bit and then asked again. “How much-“

 

“William! Enough,” Angel said agitated. “We’ll get there when we get there, alright?”

 

“Fine.” He sighed again. He shifted in his seat and tried to get comfortable. He kept thinking about Buffy and how every second on this bleedin’ machine she could be far worse than he and Angelus did when they were in Italy all those years ago. He shifted and squirmed a bit more. Growling quietly, he finally found a position that was better than all the others, but it still wasn’t perfect. He sighed again.

 

“What, Spike? I’m just trying to relax until we get to Italy. Why is that so hard?”

 

“I’m so bored, and agitated and impatient. I mean who the hell is flying this thing, Wesley’s grandfather?”

 

“No. Pretty sure he’s dead.”  


“Well if he were he’d sure as hell be flyin’ faster,” Spike said certainly.

 

“He’s not flying the plane, Spike.”

 

“Who’s flying the plane then?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“You don’t know who’s flying your own plane? That’s bad plane ownership, mate.”

 

Angel rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Spike.”

 

***

 

After several hours, the jet finally landed at the Italy branch of Wolfram and Hart. The boys ran off the plane and through the building, but they were stopped, by the CEO Ilona.

 

“Ciao! Benvenuti! Welcome!” She said as she approached them. “Ah, Spike.” She kissed him on both cheeks.

 

“Ha ha ha. Oh! You are the very meaning of handsome. You take my breath away. Ah, I have no breath,” She laughed.

 

She kissed Angel on both cheeks. “And you, what an honor. The great Angelus.”

 

“Actually, it's just Angel.”

 

“Ah, yes, of course. The gypsies, they gave you your soul. The gypsies are filthy people!” She spat on the ground “And we shall speak of them no more. I am Ilona Costa Bianchi. I'm the CEO of the Roman offices of Wolfram and Hart. And please, we are at your disposal. Whatever it is that you want, we give to you. If you want the world, we give you the world. We give you two worlds, in fact, because this is our way.”

 

“Thanks, love, but right now we just want to do what we came here for.”

 

“Yeah we really need to get going, come on Spike,” Angel said before running off with Spike behind him. Ilona watched them go looking surprised by their odd behavior.

 

They had no idea where to look for the Immortal, but he couldn’t be that hard to find. They immediately started the hunt for the familiar scent of their most hated enemy. One took one side of the street, and the other took to the roofs on the other side. They alternated ground and roof every block or so until one of them found a familiar scent. The familiar scent of slayer was faint, but Spike could sense it none the less.

“Angel!” He called down to the street. “She was here.” He looked around for any sign of where she might have went from there, but there was no visible sign that she had even been there.

 

Angel climbed up the building to meet Spike and they followed the trail. Her scent lead them into a more residential area. They found themselves standing outside of an Old Italian style apartment building.

 

“Great. We can’t get inside. Now what?” Spike said irritated.

 

“We’ll just have to keep looking. This isn’t the sort of place where the immortal would live. This is more likely Buffy and Dawn’s place,” Angel said.

 

They both sighed, leaning up against the building. “You ever think… maybe this is a set up? What if she’s not in any danger at all?” Spike said. “For all we know she’s up those stairs tucked safely in her bed.”

 

“No, if she were up there, I would feel here,” Angel said.

 

“Bugger that, Angel. We both know it’s a load of crap, you bein’ able to feel her. Though if her scent is any indication, she hasn’t been out here in a while.”

 

“What about the tape? That’s proof enough.”

 

“Could have been edited, to look like Buffy. With magic or something.”

 

They both sighed again. “Well standing here isn’t saving Buffy. We need to keep searching,” Angel said.

 

Spike took a step away from the building. “Wait a second. Did you hear that?”

 

“Hear what? It’s completely dead out here.”

 

“I thought I heard… I did. I heard Buffy. You can’t hear her?”

 

“You’re delusional, Spike.”

 

“No, I mean it. I can hear her. Well it sounds like her, but it doesn’t sound like the sort of thing she’d say…”

 

“You’re serious?” Angel asked. He looked at Spike’s face. He was dead serious. “What is she saying?”

 

“She… She called me her ‘white knight’. Like Drusilla… Drusilla used to… No!” Spike took off running up the street. Angel shadowed him closely.

 

“Spike! Where are you going?”

 

“To find, Buffy. I know where she is.” They kept running until they reached a large ornate mansion. The gates were wide open as though the owner were expecting company. He was. They ran through the gates and up the drive, right up to the door. It was unlocked and Spike barged his way in. They boys stopped in the foyer. Angel pulled an ax out his bag and tossed Spike a stake. He left the bag on the floor.

 

There was a servant waiting for them in the entrance to one of the halls. Spike grabbed him by the collar. “Where is she?” He shouted to the frightened young vampire. He pointed them down the hall and took off running again. They caught her scent and followed it down all the way to the end and into the last room on the left. Angel kicked the down open the they stormed inside.

 

Buffy was sitting in front of a mirror less vanity. She was holding something on her lap and they could hear her humming softly to it. She turned to face them and smiled softly. The tiny girl stood so they could see her. She held a small porcelain doll in her arms and she was wearing a pure white dress that appeared to be exactly like Drusilla’s. They pair wouldn’t doubt if it had been stolen from her. Her make-up had been redone with a simple black eye-shadow. She looked like a blonde Drusilla. Small, pale, and even more noticeably, a newly turned vampire.

 

“Buffy?” Angel asked.

 

She smiled. “The dark prince and white knight came riding in on the whirlwind. They came to save their sunshine.” She said softly.

 

“Oh god no.” Spike said. “Please, Buffy no.”

 

  


 

 


	2. Caged Birds Do Sing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have found Buffy. Finding her was the easy part, it was only the beginning.

Angel and Spike stared in amazement as the newly sired Buffy grabbed a hair brush off of the vanity and brushed the dolls hair. She hummed a tune and cared for her doll as though it were a child.

 

“He turned her,” Angel said in shock.

 

“Yeah,” Spike said. “Look at her, she’s…”

 

“Just like Drusilla. He- he tormented her…until she went insane,” Angel growled. He could feel Angelus on the forefront of his mind. Buffy was Angel’s to turn or to kill.

 

“She was mine. I claimed her! No one respects a claim anymore,” Spike said equal parts angry and annoyed.

 

“I claimed her first, but it doesn’t matter now anyway. She’s been turned. We need to find the Immortal. He will pay for this.” Angel turned and stalked out of the room. He headed back down the hall and found the servant still standing in the foyer, looking a bit shaken. “Where is he?” Angel growled at the small man.

 

“The-the Immortal sends his regards-“

 

“Save it. Just tell me where he is and I won’t kill you.” He slowly backed the frightened man into the wall.

 

“I-I I’m certain th-that I don’t know.”

 

“Then guess.” He pressed his left hand over the man’s throat.

 

“P-please, don’t. I-I he… he went out. Took his nicest car and he left. I don’t know where to I swear. I was only supposed to wait for you to arrive and tell you where the girl was. Please, don’t kill me.”

 

***

 

Angel left the room and Spike remained with Buffy. “Oh, pet,” He sighed. “What has he done to you?” Buffy looked at him. Her eyes shined in a familiar way, the way that Drusilla’s always did. It was as if she was in a dream but she didn’t quite know _where_ she was. She recognized Spike and Angel and she knew that she needed help. She knew that something was wrong here, but she didn’t know what. She just wanted her boys to take her away, and take care of her.

 

Buffy smiled at Spike. “You followed the bird song. Did you come to free the canary?”

 

Spike, having spent a century with his insane sire, was a master in insane speak. He could understand her as well as he had Drusilla. He smirked as he thought, Angel could never quite figure out what she saying. It was really an advantage he had here. He wanted to kick himself. Buffy has been tortured and turned and he’s still concerned with which of them she loves more.

 

“Yes, love. We came to save you.”

 

“Will you take me home? The games the wolf plays,” she shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder if he likes the bird he’s caught.”

 

“What do you mean pet?”

 

“He bites, then he coddles, but which face does the creature truly bare?”

 

“He cared for you?”

 

She nodded. “I’m his china doll.”

 

“Not anymore. We’re gonna take you home. I’ll take care of you now.” Buffy smiled. Spike sat in the chair by the vanity. “Come here pet. We’ll just wait for Angel, then.” Buffy sat on his lap and babbled about all sorts of things. She told him about feeding on a child the Immortal had given her and how much she liked her pretty white dress. Spike was fascinated. She was so much like Drusilla. All of the crazy in her head seemed to block out all the trauma. Maybe that was the point of it, her brain trying to drown the pain with chaos. He reached up to pull her hair out of the messy bun, but Buffy batted his hand away. She glared at him.

 

“At least let me fix it, pet. It’s falling out.”

 

“No! You can’t!” She jumped off his lap and ran to the corner of the room. “Leave me alone!”

 

“Hush, love it’s alright,” Spike tried to reassure her. He seemed to have triggered something in her memory. Something she was afraid of. “Alright, I won’t touch it. You can have it just how you like.”

 

Buffy was wary and watched both of his hands, raised slightly in a calming gesture, as she walked back toward where Spike sat. “It’s alright, Buffy. You’re safe I promise.”

 

Angel walked back into the room looking positively fierce. “He’s gone. The bastard ran off! As soon as he knew were on our way he fled.” Angel growled.

 

Buffy flinched. “Angel calm down, we’ll find him later,” Spike said.

 

“Calm down? You can’t be serious!”

 

“I am serious and you’re upsetting Buffy,” He nodded in her direction. “We need to get her home. She’ll feel safer the farther she is from here.”

Angel sighed and tried to calm himself a bit. “You’re right.”

 

Spike tried not to look shocked at his admission. “Right we’re off then, love.” He stood and took Buffy’s hand.

 

“Hungry,” Buffy whined.

 

“There’s pig’s blood on the plane,” Angel said.

 

“No!” she shouted. She pulled her hand away from Spike’s and stomped her foot. She made a disgusted face. “Awful. Animals taste awful.”

 

“Buffy you can’t kill people. You have to learn to drink pigs blood, like us,” Angel tried to explain, but Buffy wouldn’t hear it. She glared and shook her head.

 

Spike and Angel shared a look. They couldn’t let her starve herself and they couldn’t just let her kill could they? Angel thought a moment while Buffy pouted. He decided, yes. They could. “Come on. I have someone for you,” Angel said. Spike’s eyes grew wide, but he didn’t protest. They’d have to talk about it while she wasn’t listening.

 

Angel took Buffy’s hand and led her down the hall. He had left the servant on his knees trying to catch his breath. He was still there when they reached the foyer. Angel released Buffy’s hand and walked up the man. He wrapped an arm around his chest to hold him still and pulled his head to the side, offering him to the young vampire. She smiled and bit into the proffered throat.

 

The trio left the mansion much in the fashion of the old days. The days without souls or responsibilities. They walked arm in arm out the front doors and down the street. The servant lay dead on the cold marble floor.

 

 Buffy was pleased with her new family. She knew they would take care of her and she would be as safe from the Immortal as a vampire could be. Angel felt guilty for letting her kill the man, but he felt that everything that had happened to Buffy was his fault. The Immortal did all of this to her to torment him. That made him responsible for her. As soon as they got back to LA, he’s find a way to give her a soul. Until he could do that, he would either have to convince her to drink pig’s blood, or (if his soul would allow it) the blood of evildoers. Perhaps he could convince himself that by killing bad people, she would be saving innocent lives.

 

Spike felt bad for the servant, but he didn’t let it get to him. Soul or not, Buffy needed someone to look after her. He felt guilty for what had happened to her. A part of him wanted to put all of the blame on Angel and it would be easy to. Angel was known throughout the world as the vampire that had fallen in love with the slayer, it seemed possible that the Immortal didn’t know that Spike was involved with her. Of course his name of on the package, but either way, Spike knew he was just as much to blame as Angel. Which wasn’t very much at all in fact. It wasn’t like Spike had been the one to tie her up or to hurt her. Neither of them had provoked the Immortal. Neither of them knew exactly why any of this had happened at all. The problem was that it did happen and they all had to live with that, or unlive as it were. He would spend the rest of eternity taking care of Buffy and hoping that one day, she might get better. Maybe one day, she’d feel safe. She would never forget what happened, but maybe she could put it behind her and just be Buffy again.

 

As they headed down the drive, a familiar form stepped out of the shadows. They hadn’t seen the vampire many times, but they never forgot his face. The Immortal stood before them.

 

Angel and Spike’s faces immediately took their true form and both growled. Angel pushed Buffy back behind them.

 

“I see you found the gift that I left you,” He smirked. “I don’t like getting my hands dirty, but I thought, just this once. We are old friends after all, are we not?”

 

“You stole our women and humiliated us. That doesn’t really put you at the top of our list of friends, does it Spike?” Angel said.

 

“I like to think of us more as archenemies,” Spike said.

 

“Well in that case it’s a good thing I brought this.” The Immortal pulled a stake from his coat pocket. “I’ve decided I’d like to keep my new childe. You were on to something driving that girl of yours insane, Angelus. The craziest women are awfully good in bed,” He smirked.

 

Angel growled and Spike pounced on the Immortal. The struggled for a moment before the Immortal ended up on top, stake poised for the kill. Angel threw him across the lawn with a growl. The boys ran at him together noticing that they couldn’t take him separately. Centuries of immortality makes one nearly indestructible, but only nearly. He punched Angel in the jaw before he saw it coming, but Spike grabbed his right arm and broke the bone right in half.

 

The Immortal howled in pain and fear crossed his eyes. He didn’t let it stay though. He looked around as though he were looking for an escape. He’d made a mistake angering them so thoroughly before challenging them. Angel readied his stake as Spike round-housed him right into the ground. Angel finished him off and the worst enemy of the highest vampires in the Aurelian order became no more than dust on the wind.

 

Buffy squealed in delight and clapped her hands. “Yes! Finally! We gave that bastard just what he deserves, it might have taken a bit longer than I thought it would but still. We killed his not-so-immortal ass,” Spike ranted excitedly.

 

Angel felt a bit relieved that it finally over with the Immortal, but somehow he still felt that he’d lost. “We should go. I wanna get back to LA before sunrise.”

 

***

 

The jet landed at the LA branch of Wolfram & Hart. The people in Italy had called ahead to inform the more important members of the staff that would be arriving with an unidentified guest. After insisting that they ready the jet immediately for take-off, both Angel and Spike had refused to say a word on the subject. Buffy had been fascinated by a pretty hair pin that a paralegal was wearing and so didn’t notice when the enthusiastic CEO had attempted to speak to her.

 

They headed immediately up to Angel’s suite and Angel went to find Buffy something she could wear until they took her shopping. He decided she’d have to make due with one of his shirts until he could borrow something from Harmony. He considered taking a dress from Fred’s closet, but he didn’t think he could deal with the still painful memories.

 

Angel went out to the living room where Buffy was examining every inch of the room, much like a cat in a new home. Spike was leaning against a table watching her.

 

“Buffy. I got you this. I thought you could wear it to sleep in and then I could-“ Angel began.

 

“No!” Buffy shouted.

 

“She really likes that word doesn’t she?” Spike said a bit amused.

 

Angel gave him an annoyed look. “Buffy you have to at least take the dress off so it can be washed. It smells like… You just can’t wear it any longer. Not until it’ clean.”

 

“No. I won’t do it,” Buffy said certainly.

 

Angel rubbed his forehead. “Spike do something.”

 

“Buffy. You need to let Angel wash the dress-“

 

“No! No he can’t. I won’t let him.” She ran for the elevator and Angel caught her around the waist and pulled her away. She squirmed and kicked her legs. “No! No no! I love it, its’ mine.”

 

“Buffy, let me help you. This is ridiculous,” Angel said. Buffy opened her mouth wide and bit right into Angel’s arm. “Ahh, fuck, Buffy!”

 

Spike laughed. “You’re gonna have to let her keep the dress mate.”

 

“I’m not having her running around smelling like that. It’s driving me crazy. I just want it washed you can have it back as soon as it’s clean, I promise.”

 

“No, no, no.” Buffy shook her head.

 

“I’m not crazy about the smell either, but she looks like she’d rather chew through your arm than take the thing off. Plus now it’s got your blood on it, so it’s slightly less Immortaly.”

 

“Doesn’t matter. Help me get it off her.”

 

“Noo!” Buffy shrieked. “You’ll shut down the system!” She kicked Angel in the shin as hard she could and swung her legs trying to get free.

 

Spike looked at the struggling Buffy. He didn’t want to upset her, but she smelt so strongly of the hated vampire that it was almost as if he were in the room with them. “Alright, Buffy hold still.” The two fought to get the dress over her head. She refused to make it in any way easy for them and Spike worried it might tear. Begin so close to her, he noticed something. Underneath the smell that was clearly the Immortal, was something far more familiar. It was a smell that reminded him of home, because it was clearly Drusilla’s. The bastard had stolen right off of her, or possibly killed her for it. He and Drusilla were over and done, but she was still his sire. Spike growled.

 

Buffy frozen when she heard it. The moment of distraction allowed them to slip the dress right off her head and Angel took it to the elevator and headed down stairs. Buffy hissed at him, but she didn’t cause any more trouble. She seemed to be in a state of shock like she’d lost something she couldn’t live without.

 

Spike felt bad for her. “Come on, pet. Let’s get you cleaned up before Angel gets back.” Buffy let Spike bathe her but she refused to let him wash the makeup off her face. Every time he tried she hissed and scratched and once growled. She wouldn’t let him touch her hair either. He was okay with leaving the makeup if it made her happy, but her hair smelt worse than the dress had and he was not going leave it that way. They argued. Mostly Buffy just yelled no and Spike asked as nicely as he could, until she finally said, “Close your eyes.”

 

“What for?”

 

“To wash my hair. You have to close your eyes,” She said in a matter-of-fact way as though anyone would know that.

 

Spike sighed but went along with it. He closed his eyes and Buffy pulled out her hair piece and let her hair fall straight. Spike helped her wash her hair as much as he could with his eyes shut. When she was clean she put her hair back up and put the decorator back in place.

 

“Open now,” Buffy said sweetly.

 

Spike opened his eyes. Her hair was perfectly clean, but a bit messy from being tied back while still wet. “Well, there you go, pet. You’re all clean.”

 

She smiled. “Like flowers in the spring.” Spike wasn’t sure just how clean spring flowers really are, but he smiled anyway. He got her a towel and dried her off before he went and got the shirt Angel had offered her earlier.

 

“You can wear this ‘til you have your dress back.”

 

“No.”

 

Spikes eyes narrowed for a split second. He was getting a bit tired of her not cooperating. He decided not to fight her on it though and tossed the shirt across the room. She giggled and threw her towel on the floor. Apparently she decided that it’s her dress or nothing at all, and that was just fine with Spike.

 

***

 

Angel walked into his suite to give Buffy back her dress. His possessiveness caused him to hold it to his chest just a little bit more than necessary, just so it smelt more like him than the brand of laundry detergent that Harmony had bought for him. No one was in the living room so he headed to the bedroom. There was water all over the floor. Angel rolled his eyes and entered the room. Buffy naked and standing by the window. She was standing on her toes trying to see over the building next to theirs. Spike was sitting on the bed looking like he’d been trying to tell her something when Angel came in.

 

“Angel. I was just telling Buffy that she should get some sleep, but insists that it’s more important that she finds out where the stars are hiding.”

 

“I can’t seem to find them anywhere,” She said looking around outside.

 

“I have something for you,” Angel said.

 

Buffy spun around. When she saw her dress, she gasped and looked delighted. She ran over to Angel and took it from him. She pulled it carefully on and then spun around and around and around until Angel felt a bit dizzy watching her.

 

“You _should_ get to bed. The sun is will be up soon,” Angel told her.

 

She nodded and climbed into Angel’s bed. Spike kissed her forehead and the both boys said goodnight before shutting the door quietly behind them.

 

Angel sat down on the couch and Spike took the chair opposite. “I can’t believe this. Can you?” Spike asked looking a bit dazed.

 

“Not really, but the reality of it is slowly growing on me.” The sat in silence for a moment before Angel said, “You got water all over my floor.”

 

“Yeah, I gave Buffy a bath. She’s not the more cooperative of girls.”

 

“No. She’s really not.”

 

“You’re not going to comment on that?”

 

“I thought I did.”

 

“I meant… me and Buffy, alone all naked and wet.”

 

“Does it matter?”

 

“Well I’m glad we can set aside or differences here to save the girl we love.”

 

Angel’s already broody face went a lot darker. “We can’t save her, Spike. She’s gone. She’s not even Buffy anymore… She’s broken.”


	3. Out For Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy gets hungry...

 

Angel was asleep on the couch when Spike’s eyes snapped open. He’d fallen asleep sitting in the chair. Sunlight was shining through a crack in the curtain. With the specialized windows they didn’t really need the curtains, but they didn’t want the light to wake Buffy. It took a minute for Spike to realize what had woken him. He’d heard something in the suit. Buffy had screamed. He shook the sleep off and ran to the bedroom. He threw open the door and ran inside.

 

Buffy was sitting up in the middle of the bed squeezing Miss Anne tight. Her eyes were wide and staring. Spike looked around the room, but he neither saw nor felt anything that might have scared her. She must have had a nightmare he assumed. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. She looked up at him.

 

“It was the wolf,” She whispered.

 

“It’s alright love. He’s gone now,” Spike said. He picked her up and moved them back to the headboard. He laid her down next to him and held her until she fell back to sleep.

 

That’s how Angel found them 2 hours later. He shut the door and went downstairs. Harmony was waiting impatiently in his office.

 

“Boss! Oh my _gosh_ I was wondering when you’d be getting out of bed. You have all of these appointments and I didn’t know what to tell anyone,” She said quickly. “I kept saying you’d be called away unexpectedly and I would contact them when you-“

 

“Harmony. Give all of my meetings for the next week to Gunn and Wesley. I have something important that I need to take care of,” Angel said.

 

“Oh. Okay. Well can I ask what it is?”

 

“No.”

 

“Okay, but it’s very difficult to keep a secret in a place like this. I’ll bring you breakfast or lunch now really.” She left.

 

Angel called down to Files and Records. He asked them to bring him anything on vampires with souls and reensouling vampires. There was no sense in looking himself when the records keepers knew everything and where it was located. They would know what he was reading before he even did.

 

Harmony returned with his blood and tried to get him to tell her what was going on. He refused and threatened to have her incinerated if she didn’t leave him alone. So, she left and decided that it was best not to bother him. A cart of book books was brought into Angel's office. It was more than he'd expected, but most of the books looked like the ones he'd already looked through trying to find answers about his own soul. Now he needed to know how he could another vampire a soul and if it was possible to do so without hurting her. With Buffy having been tortured the way she was, he wasn't certain it was possible to give her a soul with pushing her broken mind into an irreparable state.

 

He grabbed the first book off of the stack and started reading. Most of what he read was about how vampires are soulless monsters with no emotions. He sighed and kept flipping. After the first three useless books, Angel stopped. He knew what he was doing was ridiculous. Buffy would never be able to handle a soul in her current state. He just felt so guilty for letting her feed like he did. She would only want to kill more people. He didn't think she would settle for animal blood and if he was being honest with himself, he didn't feel like he could force her to. The creature upstairs in his bed spooning with his childe, that wasn't Buffy. It was a whole new monster. A monster who looked like the girl he loved. A monster that he was responsible for one way or another. He would take care of her, keep her safe, and make sure she didn't go around slaughtering innocent people. A sire claim would be the perfect way to do that. He just needed her to trust him.

 

***

 

Spike woke gently. The low sunlight slipped through a crack in the curtain casting yellow light on wall. Buffy was fast asleep in his arms. She looked calm, comfortable, happy. It made him smile. He thought about what Angel had said, about her not being Buffy anymore. She certainly wasn't the same Buffy, but she was Buffy. There were plenty of things that Spike could see that were just the same. Like the way no matter how she fell asleep, she always ended up curled up on her side. The way she walked, the way she smiled, the way when she talked to him she seemed to get lost in whatever she was saying, but she always seemed confident that Spike had heard every word. Of course that last one could also be a condition of her insanity, but it seemed the same to him. She still smelt the same. She still smelt like Buffy, but with that familiar undead sort of smell that all vampires had. As far as Spike was concerned, this was his Buffy.

 

He looked at her thoughtfully and stroked her hair. Terrible things had happened to her to cause she current state, but this was exactly what Spike had wanted since he met this slayer. Almost exactly anyway, he would rather she were sane and it would be nice if she had a soul. He did after all go to lot of trouble to get his for her and now she had lost hers and he was stuck with his. He wasn't sure if it mattered or not. Was he really so different without his soul?

 

Buffy slowly opened her eyes. She arched her back and stretched. “Morning,” Spike said. She looked at him and blinked her sleep glazed eyes. “Breakfast?” Buffy nodded and rubbed her stomach. “Come on then.” He pulled her up out of bed with him and Buffy grabbed Ms. Anne before they went down stairs. Spike knew that Angel probably wanted to keep vampire Buffy a secret, but he really didn't care.

 

They ignored Harmony's surprised look went into the employee's kitchen. Spike pulled Angel's blood thermos out of the refrigerator and poor them both a mug. He tossed them in the microwave.

 

“Hey!” shouted a startled woman who had been sitting alone, eating a sandwich when the pair walked in. Buffy had grabbed the woman by the back of her head and was ready to bite her when Spike grabbed her and pulled her away.

 

“No, Buffy. You can't bite people.”

 

“Why not?” She pouted.

 

“Because it's wrong. You have to drink animal blood like me and Angel.”

 

Buffy looked at the woman who was staring rather paranoid at Buffy and rubbing her sore head. “But I don't want to.”

 

“I know you don't, love, but you haven't got a choice.” The microwave beeped and Spike handed a warm mug to her. Buffy set her doll down on the counter. She sniffed it and made a disgusted face at Spike. “It takes some getting used to, but it's not that bad.” He drank down half of his own glass while Buff twisted the cup in her hands sloshing the gooey liquid around. Spike watched her hoping she would just drink it and with putting up a fuss. The last thing he needed was that lawyer woman to call security on Buffy and start a fight between him and Angel. So far the woman seemed to feel safe enough to finish her meal, but her eyes never left Buffy.

 

Buffy put the cup to her lips and slowly poured a few drops into her mouth, barely enough to taste. She wrinkled her nose and looked at Spike questioningly. He nodded and said “Go on.” So she drank a few quick gulps. When she was finished she made a show of how unpleasant she found with a few more disgusted faces a gagging noise or two. Spike finished off his own breakfast and left the mugs on the counter for someone who cared to clean up. He handed Ms. Anne to Buffy.

 

They went back toward Angel's elevator. Harmony ran out from behind her desk to stop them. “Spike! Wait a sec.”

 

Spike sighed and looked annoyed at her. “What, Harmony?”

 

“Is that Buffy? If she a-a vampire? 'Cause she really looks a like a vampire.”

 

“What? Don't be ridiculous, she's Buffy.” They looked at her. Buffy was busy eyeing the throat of every person that walked by. Harmony raised an eyebrow. “She's just a bit... well she's... okay yeah, she's a vampire. Just don't go around telling people.”

 

“I won't.”

 

“I mean it Harm.”

 

“Alright, I won't gosh. Why's she dressed like that though? Becoming a vampire doesn't actually change a person's sense of style and Buffy _had_ style.”

 

“What? It's a nice dress,” Spike said defensively.

 

“What's with the hair?”

 

Buffy suddenly looked at her and glared. “And your hair is so great?”

 

“ _Excuse me,_ but do you see my hair? It's perfect.”

 

“Ms. Anne thinks you'd better go a little less on the moisturizer. You're all shiny, like plastic,” Buffy said irritated.

 

“What?” Harmony looked at Spike. “What did she just say to me?”

 

“Piss off Harm.” Spike pulled Buffy to the elevator. Buffy looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Harmony. Harmony huffed and went back to her desk.

 

Back upstairs Buffy entertained herself by dancing across every inch of the suit on her toes. Spike sat in the chair and watched her. She covered the living room, bathroom, bedroom, even the closet before she finally got bored of it and sat down on the sofa. She stroked Ms. Anne's hair and made a point not to look at Spike except to glare.

 

“Still made about the blood then pet?” Buffy ignored him. “I'm sorry, but you really can't go around killing people.” Buffy tossed her doll down on the sofa and stormed to the window. She threw open the curtain where the last bit of sunlight was still shining over the nearest building. She face was disbelieving of the result. “Sorry, love.” Spike rapt the glass with a knuckle. “Special glass. The sun can't hurt you inside.”

 

Buffy growled frustratedly. She was determined to get what she wanted. She ran to Angel's room and threw the closet open. Noticing Angel's weapons trunk on the floor, she opened it pulled out a rather large knife. Spike came into the room just before she carved a long, angled slit up her left arm. “Buffy!” He grabbed her around the waist and tossed the knife away. “You can cut yourself up all you like, but you'll get more pigs blood now stop this.”

 

“ _Spike_ ,” Buffy whined. “Please.”

 

“No.”

 

She pouted.

 

“No, Buffy.” She grabbed the arm around her waist and dug her nails into it.“Ow!” He shouted. He spun her around and shoved her to the wall pining her arms at her side. “Stop. It. I mean it, Buffy. I'm not letting you kill anyone.”

 

She whined and pouted and eventually calmed down a bit. Spike let her go. She shoved him to the floor and ran off. Laying on the floor spike could see under Angel's bed. He rolled his eyes. _Demon's never change._ He ran off to catch Buffy who had just reached the elevator. He dragged her back to the bedroom. She kicked and squirmed and screeched at him, but he wasn't let her out go. If she killed someone Angel would feel obligated to stake her and he refused to let that happen. 

 

He tossed her down on the bed and pulled the chains he'd found out from underneath. He chained her to the headboard. She growled at him, but she calmed down.

 

The elevator pinged and Angel stormed in. “Spike!” He stomped into the bedroom. He saw Buffy on the bed and his grew wide. He shook his head. “I don't have time for this. You brought her down stairs! Harmony just told me. She almost killed someone!”

 

“Calm down. We were hungry. I wasn't gonna leave her up here on her own.”

 

“Why the hell not?” He shouted.

 

“Great plan, we'll just leave her alone so she can wander off and _really_ kill someone.”

 

Buffy nodded enthusiastically. “I like that plan.”

 

Angel looked at her. “Why is she tied up?”

 

“She was tryin' to kill people.” Angel sighed. “I took care of it. She'll be fine.”

 

“What are we gonna do with you, Buffy?” He rubbed his forehead. “We can't have you killing people.”

 

“What if we did though?” Spike asked.

 

“What?”

 

“I mean... there are people in this world that we could all do without.”

 

“That doesn't mean they deserve to die, Spike. We don't get to choose who lives and dies.”

 

“We used to. Buffy is what we used to be. She's going to stop, just like we never would have given the same. No one could blame you.”

 

“Of course they could, it would be _my_ fault!”

 

“Says who? She doesn't belong to you in anyway. You've pretty much said so.”

 

Angel walked over to the window and stood still and silent as the last few rays of sunlight disappeared from the sky. When he turned away from the window, he looked toward the door as though looking to escape something. His face was dark.

 

“The key is in the drawer by the bed.” He headed for the elevator. “I'll meet you both outside.”

 

  
Spike retrieved the key and unlocked Buffy who looked about as confused as he was. “What do think all that's about?” He asked her. She stared off after Angel for a moment. Her eyes lit up. She was going to get what she wanted after all. She went into the living room and grabbed Ms. Anne as she and Spike followed Angel out. Buffy couldn't help but smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. The Glory In Bloodshed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's feeding time for Buffy and her blood lust is a bit uncontrollable. The boys take her to a rather nasty side of town where all manner of dark creatures lurk.

 

Spike and Buffy stood out on the street in front of Wolfram & Hart. Being Los Angeles, the city never completely quieted down and there were a few people out walking, probably headed out to have a bit of fun. Buffy's eyes followed each person as they walked passed. If anyone noticed them, they hid it well. Wolfram & Hart being a regular demon spot, most people likely just ignored anything they saw coming or going from there.

 

Angel pulled his car around and stopped next to the curb. “Come on,” He called to them. They got in the car, Spike in the front. Angel didn't look at either of them, he just drove off without a word.

 

Angel parked the car in an old dirty alley way. The three climbed out of the car. Angel walked to the entrance of the alley and surveyed the area. There were bound to be plenty of murders, drug dealers, and rapists hanging around this side of town.

 

“We should head up that way. Take a look around,” Angel said pointing further down the road.

 

“Actually, I thought the other way looked better,” Spike said joining him.

 

“No one asked your opinion Spike.” Angel said bitterly.

 

“No need to get so bossy. I was-”

 

“It doesn't matter. We need to find her some low life to snack on so we can get out of here.”

 

“Look, she's practically a newborn you know how that is.”

 

“Yeah, I do, and that's why I want to get her home before she can snatch some innocent bystander.”

 

“I don't think we'll be finding many innocent anythings on this side of town.”

 

“You never know.”

 

Spike looked at Buffy who was standing near the car, holding her doll. “Does she even know how to hunt, do you think?”

 

“No idea, that's the sort of thing a sire teaches you.”

 

“Well she hasn't really got one of those, does she?”

 

“I was working on that,” Angel said before he could stop himself.

 

“You were _what_?” Spike exclaimed. “How? Wait, you were gonna claim her weren't you?”

 

Angel rolled his eyes. “It's not important right now.”

 

“Like hell it's not! She's not yours to claim _Angel_ or have you forgotten. Didn't you say she's not even Buffy anymore? You don't even care about her-”

 

“Of course I do! I know that she's not Buffy, but... sometimes it's almost like she is. The way she looks at me...”

 

Spike calmed down a bit. “I know what you mean. That still doesn't give you the right to go and claim her behind my back.”

 

“I'm the sire of this clan-”

 

“Oh! We're a _clan_ now? When were you going to tell _me_ that,” Spike said getting irritated again.

 

“You don't want to be a clan, to have a family again?”

 

“Clans are for _real_ demons. We have souls, Angel. We don't need a clan.”

 

“Well Buffy does. She needs to be taught and guided and cared for.”

 

“Well-” Spike was cut off by the sound of screaming. The pair whirled around. Buffy was gone.

 

***

 

Spike and Angel started bickering as Buffy climbed out of the car. She rolled her eyes. Could they ever get along? No. Buffy didn't think it seemed very possible. The shouting died down for a moment before it started back up. Buffy sighed and rested her free hand on her empty stomach. The pig's blood Spike had feed her had done next to nothing for her hunger.

 

There was a shuffling sound behind her. She turned around. The alley was long and ended at a brick wall. From where she stood, no human would have been able to see the end. It would have appeared to go on forever. It was the perfect place for someone to hide. There was a dumpster about halfway down the alley. Something thumped ever so slightly against it. Buffy walked slowly toward it to investigate. She looked back over her shoulder. The boys were so busy with their argument that they didn't even notice she'd moved.

 

She reached the dumpster and peered around the side of it. Nothing. She was certain she'd heard something. She could feel someone nearby. Someone other than Angel or Spike. Human, but a human who spent enough time in the dark to smell vaguely of demons. She turned on the spot, searching with her eyes. There was a dull thump directly behind her and hand covered her mouth as a blade was pressed to her throat. Buffy was a bit stunned for a moment.

 

“Keep quiet,” Her captor hissed in her ear. The voice was male and fairly young. “Come with me.” He pushed her forward toward the back of the alley. Buffy grabbed the wrist holding the knife. The young man tried to turn the point into her throat, but her grip was like iron.

 

“What the hell?” The man asked just before Buffy used her grip on his arm to throw him over her head. He landed flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Buffy jumped on top of him and straddled his waist. The man thought the doll she clutched to her chest created the image of innocence and curiosity. She changed into her true face and such ideas left the man's head. He screamed. Buffy leaned down and bit into the man's neck. His screaming stopped and he gasped for air. Terror constricted his throat and adrenalin coursed through his veins.

 

“Buffy!” Spike and Angel yelled as they ran toward her. Angel was about to pull her off the man, but Spike through his arm out in front of him. He pointed at the knife lying on the ground next to the man.

 

“Looks like she found herself dinner,” Spike remarked.

 

“More like dinner found her,” Angel said.

 

They stood and watched Buffy feed. It didn't take her long to finish him off and lick the blood off of her lips. She stood and stepped away from the man. She looked down at him as curiously, her head tilted slightly to the side.

 

Spike sighed, surveying the corpse. Angel set to work getting rid of any evidence of vampire activity in case the body was actually found. He knelt next to the corpse and picked up the knife. He stabbed the man in the throat destroying the marks left by Buffy's fangs. The man's wallet bulged against his coat pocket. Angel took it and slipped it into his own coat pocket. He tossed the body in the dumpster and closed the lid. He kicked the knife underneath. The whole thing would look like a robbery gone wrong, no one would bother to investigate further.

 

“That's done then,” Angel said. “We should get back home.”

 

“The night's only stared,” Buffy pouted. “It's boring in that cage.”

 

“We could go see a movie,” Spike suggested.

 

Angel rolled his eyes. “A movie. Sure.”

 

Buffy smiled. Spike put an arm around her shoulder's and the three walked back to Angel's car. Angel had just reached the driver's door when there was another scream. It was a woman and it came from somewhere nearby. Angel shared a look with Spike before running off in the direction of the scream.

 

“Stay here. Wait for us to get back,” Spike told Buffy before running after him. Buffy sighed and leaned against the side of the car as she watched them run off.

 

A second scream from the woman was cut off abruptly, but it sent the boys in the right direction. The woman was inside and dusty old building. The newest thing on it was the reinforced front door. It was clearly the hideout of someone who had nothing good up their sleeve. Angel kicked the door in. Nothing stopped him from entering the building. Demons.

 

“Hey!” A guard yelled noticing their entrance. There were two vampire's keeping watching of the door. They were young and no match for the two master vampires that had barged their way inside.

 

The pair headed into the main part of the building, a large room with several large machines that reached from the floor all the way to the high ceiling. In the middle of all the machinery, a large gray demon stood over top of a crying woman who was held by another vampire. He pulled her right arm behind her back and held her throat. There was a large metal spike protruding from the floor. At it's base was the body of a man who had been forced onto it. There were gray candles surrounding the group in a circle, outside of which stood more large gray demons.

 

“Prekian demons,” Angel whispered.

 

“How do we kill them?” Spike asked.

 

“Anything goes.” Angel charged into the middle of the group. He staked the vampire who held the woman. The demon standing before him was outraged and growled frustrated before Spike appeared behind him and snapped his neck. The woman tried to run, but was grabbed by two Prekian demons standing outside of the circle. She screamed and twisted in their arms trying to break free. None of the other demons moved as though determined not to break the circle.

 

Always prepared, Angel pulled a blade from inside his coat and cut off the head of one of the demon holding the woman. Spike snapped the second's neck. The rest ran off and disappeared somewhere inside the back of the building.

 

“Are you alright?” Angel asked the woman. She nodded. Her whole body was shaking. Her eyes fell on the body of the man on the spike and she sobbed. “You're safe now,' He tried to reassure her.

 

Spike crouched next to the body and examined the circle. “Looks like they were doing some sort of ritual. Should we go after them?”

 

“No. Prekian demons are known for their ritual sacrifices, but they don't stay in one place long. They're probably long gone.”

 

Spike sniffed and looked up at Angel. “Buffy.” His eyes widened as he looked behind Angel. Angel turned around. Buffy held the woman around the waist. Her fangs were buried in the woman's neck.

 

“Buffy, no!” Angel shouted. She pulled her face away from the woman and looked up at him blinking innocently. Angel pulled the woman out of Buffy's arms. He check for her pulse. It was very faint, but if they got her to a hospital she had a chance. Angel carried the woman outside and headed back to the car.

 

Buffy looked confused. She looked questioningly at Spike. “We've already told you, pet. You can't go around killing people. That was a very bad thing you did. That woman could die.”

 

“Yes. I meant to kill her.”

 

“That's bad, Buffy. You're not allowed to kill anyone.”

 

“But that man... I killed him. Angel took care of the body.” She shook her head confused.

 

“That was different. He attacked you. He wasn't a good person and he would have killed people. That woman wasn't bad. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Buffy's face fell. She was upset that she had disappointed Angel and Spike. “Come on. We'd better catch up to Angel.”

 

***

 

“Something has to be done about her, Spike!” Angel hissed. They were in his office. Buffy was upstairs in Angel's suite. “She's out of control.”

 

“She's a childe, Angel,” Spike defended her. “She doesn't know any better. She can't feel remorse for killing people, but she looked awfully disturbed when she realized how upset you. I think if we just explain to her that it's important to us she'll at least try.”

 

“She's still a vampire. One without a soul. She's too young to control the blood lust. We took our eyes off her for 5 minutes and she nearly killed that woman.”

 

“So we'll watch her more closely.”

 

“I still have a job to do. I can't spend all my time watching her.”

 

“So I'll watch her.”

 

“You. You'll watch her 24/7 and not leave her side for a single second?”

 

“Well... when you put it like that it _does_ sound awfully... I took care of Dru didn't I?”

 

“You weren't concerned about how many people she killed.”

 

“What are we supposed to do then, leave the girl chained to your bed for the rest of her existence?” Angel looked at him as though seriously considering it. “That was a joke.”

 

“I know that.”

 

“Didn't look like it.”

 

The door swung open and Gunn walked in followed closely by Wesley. “Hate to interrupt the heated private discussion fellas, but uh-” The glare he got from Angel was enough to shut him up. “Uh, Wesley, could you uh...”

 

“What? Uh, well. We demand to know what all of this secretive behavior is about,” Wesley said sounding authoritative. He lowered his voice, “There's a rumor going around that you two have Buffy Summer's locked away in your suite and that she's... she's a vampire.”

 

“Shouldn't believe everything you hear, Wes,” Angel said.

 

“Well, no, but-”

 

“Don't let them lie to you!” Harmony yelled as she entered the room. “I _saw_ her with Spike.”

 

Gunn crossed his arms and looked to Angel for an explanation. Angel glared at Spike.

 

“What?” Spike shrugged. “I'm amazed she managed to keep her mouth shut about it for this long. Even more amazed that you didn't tell her too.”

 

“I thought I had.” Angel gave Harmony a deadly look. She flinched, but to her credit didn't back down.

 

“So the slayer's been turned,” Gunn said. “Why?”

 

“We didn't turn her,” Angel tried to explain.

 

“Has her watcher been informed of this?” Wesley asked.

 

“Giles isn't her watcher anymore, but no. We haven't told anyone,” Angel said.

 

“What about her family, Angel? Don't you think Dawn has a right to know that her sister is dead?” Wesley asked.

 

“I didn't really think about it.”

 

“She's not dead,” Spike insisted. “She's still Buffy.”

 

“Look.” Angel sighed. “I'll call Dawn and Willow and anyone else who's number we have. You're right. They should have been told immediately.”

 

“What are you gonna do with her?” Gunn asked.

 

“What like she's an animal?” Harmony asked annoyed.

 

“I meant she's a demon now. She'll be wanting to kill, kill, kill and it's our job to kill things that kill.”

 

“We're taking care of that,” Angel said.

 

“Are you going try ensouling her?” Wesley asked.

 

“It's too risky.”

 

“Why's that? You and Spike received souls just fine. I don't see why-”

 

“Just trust me. We'll handle it.”

 

***

 

Buffy stood by the window, watching the sky. There wasn't many visible stars to see. Even with vampire vision there were only 2 or 3 and they were very dim. Buffy sighed, feeling bored. She sat down on the side of Angel's bed. A moment later, there was a dull ache in her head. It grew suddenly stronger. It wasn't enough to truly painful, but it was certainly distracting. The room in front of her disappeared and suddenly she was somewhere else.

 

She was underground in some type of a mine shaft. Angel was there, but his hair was long and his clothes were old. She turned and she could see Spike. His hair was also longer and he hadn't dyed it. Darla and Drusilla stood a few feet away from them where the boys were arguing. She smiled. They never really changed. Angelus grabbed William by his coat and shoved him down onto a cart. He let the younger go and walked away.

 

“What's a slayer?” She heard William call to Angelus.

 

The way Angelus explained it was fascinating. Of course Buffy already knew what a slayer was, but it hadn't occurred to her that the slayer could be a danger to her. Then she remembered. Spike had killed a slayer. Two of them even. The room reformed around her and ache in her head slowly faded.

 

She picked up Miss Anne from beside her on the bed. “Oh Miss Anne, did you see them? Beautiful they were. Such beautiful creators of death and destruction. I want to see them. As they were before. We could show them Miss Anne. We could show them what they were.” She held her doll in her lap as she thought up a plan to show Angel and Spike the glory in being Angelus and William.

 

 

 

 


	5. The Amulet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a mini chapter since I haven't had a lot of time to write.

 

 

“How will we find our way to the old world, Miss Anne? Surely it's a path on which many are lost,” Buffy said to her doll as she stood at the window. Spike was fast asleep on the sofa behind her. Angel was working. The insane girl was glad to have some time alone so she could plan. “It won't be easy.” Buffy sighed. “I just wish...” Buffy smiled to herself. She know how to make her wish come true.

 

She pressed the button to call the elevator and watched Spike's sleeping form anxiously. He didn't wake and she slipped into the large metal box unnoticed. She reached the main floor and headed off to find the records room. A friendly lawyer who knew a lost girl when she saw one pointed her in the right direction.

 

She ignored the many rows of cabinets and made her way to the attendant. “I need to know the last known location of a certain vengeance demon.”

 

***

Spike bolted upright. He was covered in sweat and his muscles were tense. He'd been having a nightmare about the Immortal. He kept seeing that bastard's face just before he... He looked around. Buffy wasn't there. He jumped up off of the couch.

 

“Buffy!” He shouted. He ran to the bathroom. No Buffy. Then the bedroom. She wasn't there either. He spun around and ran to the elevator.

 

“Spike?” She said behind him.

 

He spun around and grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. “Don't scare me like that, pet.”

 

“I'm sorry,” She said as Spike put let her go.

 

“What were you doing?”

 

“Miss Anne is no good at hide and seek.” She turned her head to the doll sitting backward in a chair in the living room.

 

Spike chuckled. “If she were a good seeker I'd be rather concerned.”

 

Buffy looked at him a bit confused as though it made all the sense in the world for that doll to get out of the chair and come looking for her. “I'm hungry again.”

 

“Sun 's still up. We've got a few hours yet. Have you slept at all?” Buffy shook her head. “Well you can't kill if you're dead on your feet. Come on.” He led her to Angel's bed and tucked her in. She pouted. “Want me to lay with you?” She smiled. He laughed. “Alright, move over.”

 

Spike held her until he fell asleep. She gently squirmed her way out of his arms. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before going into the living room and pulling out the amulet she'd acquired. When she'd asked the Files and Records woman about vengeance demons the woman had been kind enough to inform Buffy that an amulet was currently in position of Wolfram & Hart's LA branch and that it had belong to Halfrek. The demon having been killed couldn't be restored, but one _could_ summon a sort of doppelganger to take Halfrek's place.

It wasn't hard to convince the man watching over the magical artifacts room that Angel had sent her to retrieve the amulet. It wouldn't be long before Angel found out she'd taken it. She'd have to work fast. She wasn't sure how one summons a vengeance demon. Should she put the amulet on? Or maybe she just willed them to appear. Should she say something?

 

“Halfrek,” She began uncertainly. “I summon you.”

 

The effect was immediate. A swirl of gray smoke appeared and within it formed Halfrek. “What is it you desire?” Her voice was sort of distorted as though she were speaking through a recording. _Hello, you've reached Halfrek. Leave your wish at the tone._ Buffy thought amused.

 

“Halfrek, I wish I had the ability to take my family back in time.”

 

The face of the Halfrek doppelganger changed to demon form. “Wish granted.” The amulet in her hands shimmered. “This will take you when you want to go along with anyone you are touching. Beware, once you return to the present, the amulet will be restored to it's previous form and will no longer allow you to move through time. Good luck.” She disappeared the way she came and left Buffy with a wide grin on her face.

 

***

 

Angel sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He was headed upstairs hoping for an hour or two to relax before the sunset and Buffy demanded to be taken out to go hunt. He'd had a particularly heated argument with a local demon clan that refused to stop killing. It ended when and he and Gunn cut the heads off of the leader and his second in command leaving the rest of the clan shocked and confused. From there it wasn't hard to convince them to take up eating processed meats from the grocery store instead of their diet of roasted human flesh.

 

Upstairs, he found Buffy asleep on Spike's chest in his bed. He'd been hoping Spike would be on the couch so he could have the bed, but he'd have to settle for the couch himself. He kicked his shoes off and plopped down on his back. The couch, which was normally rather comfy, seemed to have a small hard lump under the right cushion. He reached underneath and found something hard and round. It looked like some sort of amulet or talisman. He tucked it into his jacket pocket and tossed the jacket onto a chair. Angel was asleep before he think too much about it.

 

***

 

“No! Where is it?” Buffy shrieked. She knew she'd left it in the sofa. She pulled up each cushion and felt down in all the cracks. She looked underneath the sofa and chairs. It wasn't there or underneath the table. She stood up and spun around. It had to be here somewhere.

 

Angel came out of the bedroom where he'd been changing. “Ready to go?” He asked her.

 

“Uh... I- It's lost.”

 

“What's lost?”

 

“I need it. I need it to help you see again. It must be here.” She looked behind the couch and along every inch of the floor.

 

“Buffy, what is it?” She ignored him. He felt the lump in his jacket pocket and remembered the amulet he found. He pulled it out and held it by the chain. “Is this what you're looking for?”

 

Buffy saw the amulet in his hand and her eyes grew wide. “Yes! You've recovered it.” She reached for it but Angel pulled it out of reach.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Miss Anne thinks it will help. We need it to help.”

 

“Help what?”

 

Buffy shook her head. “No. Give it!” She grabbed for the amulet but Angel slipped it into his pocket.

 

“I think I'd rather hang on to it.”

 

“ _No_ ,” Buffy whined. “It will help though.”

 

Angel considered giving it back due to the heartbroken look on the poor girl's face. He couldn't risk it though. He wasn't sure where she had gotten it or what it could do, but he'd keep it until he found out. If it turned out to be just a pretty rock that in her damaged mind was somehow useful he'd give it back, but he thought it best to play it safe.

 

They went downstairs and outside. Spike was waiting with the car. “What took you two so long?”

 

“Don't worry about it,” Angel said.

 

Spike looked at Buffy in the rear view mirror and was about to ask again when he received a glare from Angel and decided to wait to ask once they'd both moved on. He drove back down to the shady side of town and pulled into the alley that was becoming quite familiar. They climbed out of the car and proceeded down the side walk. Spike didn't argue with Angel's leading this time. The other two seemed to have a sort of tension between them. Buffy kept eyeing Angel's right side. No matter where he went, she kept it in view as though she needed it to survive. It was clear to Spike that it wasn't Angel she was after, but more likely something he had.

 

They found a man who smelt strongly of fresh human blood other than his own. Buffy feed quickly, never taking her eyes off of Angel. The body was shoved through an open basement window. As they turned to leave Buffy seemed to perk up and skipped a bit as she looped her arms through both Angel and Spike's. They walked back to the alley, but the car wasn't there.

 

“Great!” Angel shouted dropping Buffy's arm and looking around for any sign of the missing vehicle. There wasn't a single clue. It was just gone.

 

“Looks like we're walking home,” Spike said.

 

“Not exactly,” Buffy said with a wide smile. Against her chest rested the amulet. Angel patted his coat pocket where he'd been keeping it. Buffy, never dropping letting go of Spike's arm, lunged forward and grabbed Angel's hand. She closed her eyes, the amulet grew warm, and the world around them faded into a blinding white light.


	6. Chasing Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy's off pursuing wolves while Angel and Spike are faced with something they'd never imaged they'd ever see again; 19th century Europe.

 

The force of being pulled through time had knocked all three vampire's unconscious. Buffy was the first to wake. She was lying flat on her back in an alley similar to the one they'd been in before. Spike and Angel were lying on either side of her. She walked to the entrance of the alley and looked at the people passing by. They all wore leather boots and hand sewn dresses. The air smelt more natural than she was used to, but it faintly stunk of sewage and rot. Buffy smiled. Now she just had to find Angelus. Then she could show them what they had been. She joined the crowd into the center of town. _Now, where would the demon king hunt?_ She asked herself.

 

There was a massive crowd filing out of a building that seemed better cared for than the others. The people that left the building dressed far more extravagantly than the others and every woman was escorted by a man in a top hat. _An opera house,_ she thought. She weaved through the crowd and made her way to the building. She waited in sight of the door. After a few minutes, Angel's long haired demon persona left the building with a familiar blonde on his arm. Darla. Behind him Drusilla hung onto a young William's arm looking awfully smug about the attention both of them got from anyone they passed. William didn't seem to notice the admiring stares. In fact he looked a bit bored. _Found you my lovelies._

 

She followed them at a distance. Thankfully, she was down wind of them. They weaved gracefully through the crowd and walked down past the residential area. The houses were small, but neat. A few had a small garden growing in front. Buffy was distracted by a row of pinks ones that looked as though they had faces. She turned back to her trail to find that she had almost lost them. They rounded the corner and Buffy hurried to catch up.

 

They were headed deeper into the village, where the houses were a bit larger and there were fewer on every row. Angelus held the door of one that was not unlike the rest and allowed the girls to enter but left the door swing and bump William in the shoulder. He sighed irritated before closing the door behind him. _Time to show my princes what they're missing._

 

Buffy smiled to herself. She could smell the sunrise about an hour away. They would need a place to sleep for the night. Once the sunset she'd convince them both to come and see what she'd found. They were likely to be very angry with her, but they needed to see. She had to show them what they were. What they _could be_ again. She went back to the alley where she'd left them. They were both awake, but of course they were arguing.

 

***

 

When Angel woke up, his back was stiff from the hard ground and his head ached like someone had hit him with a brick. He sat up with a groan. Spike was sitting next to him, looking a bit shocked. “Where are we?”

 

“Europe. Not sure where exactly.” He looked pointedly at the crowded street. “Not sure 'where' is the real question though.”

 

Angel rubbed the back of his head. “What do you mean?” He looked toward the street. He blink disbelieving. “What?”

 

Spike nodded. “Yeah, and here I didn't think time travel was possible.”

 

“It's not.”

 

“Tell that to Buffy.”

 

Angel looked around. “Where _is_ Buffy?” Both vampires jumped to their feet and looked around. “Buffy!”

 

“Buffy!” Spike called as he looked around frantically.

 

A couple on the street stopped and stared for a minute.

 

“Drunks,” The man muttered under his breathe, but they heard him.

 

“Hey!” Spike yelled. The couple scurried off looking like they'd seen a ghost.

 

“Where is she?” Angel marched frustrated to the back-end of the alley. Spike walked to the street and looked around. Angel rejoined him. “No sign of her back there.” He looked down the street. “Of course it's not hard to get lost in English cities.”

 

“This isn't England.”

 

“Really, 'cause it sure smells like it.”

 

“Dirty town, dirty drunken people, this is _not_ the mother country, it's... yeah this could be England.”

 

“I can't even smell her. Everything just smells like filth.” Angel kicked an old cardboard box frustratedly. Several papers spilled out. Angel started pacing. “Where would she go?”

 

Spike crouched and picked up a paper. It was a flier for a local theater. It was a theater in Budapest, but the flier was in English since the troupe that was in town was from England. It was advertising a play that was familiar to him. Othello. Good play. Of course afterward Angelus had made him stand around while he socialized with some blonde aristocrat that Darla later vowed to kill. He had seen it with Drusilla, Angelus, and Darla while in Budapest some time around 1894. Just before they went to Romania. “Look at this.” He handed Angel the flier.

 

“Great. She's gone chasing after Angelus.”

 

“How do you know it was Angelus? Maybe she's looking to find herself William the Bloody.”

 

“Don't make this about you Spike.”

 

“ _Me? I'm_ making this about _me?_ You're the one who said she was 'chasing after Angelus' I was just making a point that we really have no idea what she's after.”

 

“No you were being jealous.”

 

“Was not!”

 

“Were so, in fact you still are.”

 

“Am not! And anyway we both know I'm better looking, so if she's going after anyone it'll be me.”

 

“Oh, _yeah right,_ Spike.”

 

“It's true!”

 

“Look, I don't know what's going on in screwed up head, but it doesn't-”

 

“Stop talking about her like that! She's dealing better than Drusilla ever did. She's doing the best she can with what's happened to her. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing is your fault!” Spike ended his rant with a jabbed to Angel's chest. Angel growled and was prepared to rip Spike's head off when he noticed someone standing a few feet away.

 

“Buffy,” Spike sighed relieved.

 

Angel backed away from Spike. “Buffy, where have you been?”

 

“I was chasing the wolves,” She said simply. “We have to go now. Before the sun.”

 

“Right. Where are we gonna stay?” Angel asked looking around.

 

“I have an idea,” Spike said. He strode out of the alley and walked up to a lone man. He slipped into his old 19th century accent. “Excuse me. My companions and I need a room for the night. Could you be so kind as to point me toward the inn?”

 

The stranger eyed Spike's strange clothing and hair. “No inn is going to take you lot in looking like that. You can try can stay out in the stables if you like,” The man said spitefully. “It's up that way.” He pointed up the street.

 

“Thank you,” Spike said sure to be the gentleman in the end. The man even looked a bit surprised before giving an irritated grunt and skulking away. He went back to the others.

 

“Great so we can find the inn now. Could have done that anyway. You could just follow the trail of drunks,” Angel said unimpressed.

 

“Yeah, but we didn't have this before.” Spike held up the change purse that he'd nicked from the man as he walked away. “All I have on me is 5 dollars and one of your credit cards. Didn't think that would do us a lot of good.”

 

“You stole one of my- Nevermind. Let's go.”

 

They got a room at the inn which to Angel was a bit surprising. Three strange newcomers claiming to a pair of actors traveling with their sister (we had an abusive father) wearing cloths that no one had ever seen before (it's the latest in Paris) and asking for a place to sleep when it time for the other tenants to waking up, it was amazing they hadn't been shooed away and left to take up refuge in the sewers. The room had one window which the covered with one of the two only blankets they had. There was one cot for a bed. They hadn't been able to afford any better, but it was better than rat filled sewers.

 

Angel and Spike stared each other down, silently arguing over who would share the bed with Buffy. Normally Angel wouldn't have minded the floor, but he knew 19th century Europe pretty well. The floor was sure to be covered in beer, vomit, urine, and any number of smelly filthy things. He _really_ didn't want to wake up smelling like that.

 

“I am _not_ sleeping on the floor,” Angel said.

 

“Well _I'm_ bloody well not.”

 

Buffy groaned. “No. Too tired for fighting. It's the burning time. Means it's time to sleep.” She grabbed each of them by an arm and pulled them to the cot. She shoved them down side by side and clambered on top. “There, sleep now.” She made her self comfy with her head on Angel's chest and her body along Spike's. He turned so his chest was against her back and put an arm around her waist. Angel sighed before he finally gave in and went to sleep.

 

***

 

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_ Someone pounded on the door. Spike sprung to his feet like a cat, jolted out of his sleep. Angel shot upright and Buffy was shoved off his chest to look curiously at the door from the cot next.

 

“Sirs,” The inn keeper called. “You's only paid for one night and I got others waitin' for a room.”

 

Spike looked at the window where the light was still streaming in. It was at least 3 hours from sunset. Angel shared a look with them. What could they do? They couldn't even open the door for very long without the light from the hall burning their flesh.

 

The inn keeper knocked again. “Sirs?”

 

“I've got an idea,” Angel whispered. “Play along.” He went to the door and cracked it open. He kept himself behind the door and out of direct light. When he spoke, his voice cam out smooth and Irish. “My apologies. It's just my sister. She's very ill. She needs her rest.”

 

The man looked into the room to where the pale and drowsy Buffy did in fact look rather sick. He shook his head. “I can't make any exceptions. This is the only lodgin's in town and these are paying customers. I'm sorry but you'll have to go elsewhere.”

 

Angel sighed. “Plan b, then.” He grabbed the man and hulled him into the room with one arm. He kicked the door closed and pressed his free hand over the man's mouth. “So, do we knock him out or...” He jerked his head and Buffy's direction. She was busy watching a few specs of dust caught in the single beam of light that streamed in through the window.

 

Spike wasn't sure. They locked eyes, silently debating their moral dilemma. If he were killed they'd have more time, but it would be their fault that an innocent man had died. If they just knocked him out there would be less chance of anyone noticing a vampire presence, but if he awoke, they had nothing to gag him with and he would scream for help.

 

Spike squeezed his eyes shut. He knew what needed to be done here, but he couldn't say it out loud. Angel go the message. It made his stomach twist and his soul screamed inside his head. He couldn't take it. He through the man down smacking his head on the stone floor. He'd live. They just had to hope he didn't wake before the sun could set.

 

The three sat side by side on the cot. “We need to watch the wolves,” Buffy said thoughtfully. “We must watch them dance and play.”

 

“What wolves?” Spike asked. Angel snorted. Buffy gave him an irritated look. “Ignore him pet. Tell me about the wolves.”

 

“They're beautiful. It's out mission to watch them. Afterward the good fairy will allow us to go home.”

 

“I see,” Spike said. “Do you know where the wolves are?”

 

Buffy nodded. “I found them.”

 

“Did they see you?”

 

“I don't think so.”

 

“This is ridiculous,” Angel scoffed. “She's speaking nonsense and you know it.”

 

“ _No_ I think we both know that she's not. You just want to pretend that she's broken and can't think for herself so _you_ don't have to be nice to her.”

 

“That' not true. And I _am_ nice to her. Isn't that right, Buffy?” 

 

Buffy gave him a puzzled sort of look as if she were unsure. “Some knights are less than noble,” She mumbled.

 

Spike gave Angel a pointed look. “What? What does that even mean?”

 

“It means you're a bloody wanker. Also, you just acknowledged that she _can_ think by asking her a question so I think you can lay off the whole 'Buffy is less than sentient' routine and start treating her like a sodding person.”

 

They were quiet after that. Until Buffy said, “The wolves go chasing on the whirlwind. They won't get much further.”

 

Angel fit the pieces together. “She's talking about us isn't she, Angelus and William?”

 

Spike nodded.

 

“Buffy, you have to get us back home. We can't stay in the 19th century. We don't belong here,” Angel tried to reason with her.

 

“No. I must show you before. I need what it was then. The wolves, Angel!” Buffy argued determined.

 

Neither was sure what Buffy was up to. Both knew it couldn't be anything good. It was clear that she held some way of getting them back to their own time, but she wouldn't help them until she had what she wanted. Angel was certain that the amulet she kept tucked under her dress was the key.

 

***

 

The sun set and to the boys' luck, the man didn't wake but remained breathing. As they left, Angel told a maid in the hall that there had been an accident. They made it out of the inn and half way down the street before she found the man and started screaming. The group headed off until Angel stopped them and went into a shop. Spike and Buffy shared a confused look before following after him.

 

Angel approached the man keeping shop. “We're travelers and we've come a long way. We'll be needin' new clothes.” He dropped a small bag of coins onto the counter. The man's eyes grew wide before he regained his composure. He each of them in turn before heading into the back.

 

“Where did you get that?” Spike whispered surprised.

 

“What, you're the only one who can pick-pocket unwary persons?” He whispered back.

 

“You expect us to play dress up then?”

 

“If Buffy insists we stay, we'd better look the part before people start to notice and ask questions.”

 

“Agreed, but how are we going to get Buffy to... I mean we can't get that dress off of her let alone get her to wear something new.”

 

“She doesn't have to take the dress off, as long as she puts another one over it. No one will notice and I think she'll be okay with that.”

 

The girl in question had wandered to a display of woman's shoes and seemed to have found a pair she liked. The man came out of the back holding a large pile of clothing. He spent some time finding something that fit them all just right. The boys were dressed in suits and waistcoats while Buffy was given a lovely blue silk gown that she fitted nicely over her own without complaint. Especially after Angel promised her the boots she admired.

 

While Buffy was tying up her new pretty white boots, Spike caught Angel eyeing a rack of tops hats. “If you even think about put one of those on my head, I will kill you,” He muttered low enough to be unheard by human ears. Angel chuckled obviously enjoying himself.

 

“There's nothing I miss about this century except for how everyone is so impeccably dressed.”

 

Spike rolled his eyes. They left the shop and Buffy twirled down the street in her new gown watching the skirt flow gracefully above her ankles. Spike wasn't sure if she was enjoying the dress or just trying to look at her boots. Possibly both.

 

They let Buffy lead them to the side of town where she'd seen last Angelus. Angel was wary, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of his past self. Spike listened anxiously for those familiar sounds. Screaming, Drusilla's child-like laughter, the hum of Angelus's voice, and the voice of Darla which had always made his jaw clench as he attempted not to grind his teeth together. Buffy found the house they where she left them. Their scent was fresh, but they'd missed them by about an hour. Buffy groaned frustrated.

 

Familiar pain shot through her head. She moaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Buffy? What's wrong?” Angel asked. Spike wrapped his arms around her shoulders to support her.

 

_Angelus gave Darla a lustful kiss. “That was a wonderful present. I'll have to find some way to thank you.” He said._

 

“ _You can try.” She said with a laugh._

 

_A white flash, and then, Angelus ran through the trees. He panted as he ran, getting tired. They were hunting him, trapping him. He had no where left to run._

 

“Buffy!” Spike shook her.

 

“Uh... I'm alright.” She said softly. “It's nearly the time for angels. We have to hurry after the wolves before they're gone.” She looked disturbed and deeply panicked.

 

“Alright. We'll find the wolves. It'll be alright,” Spike tried to calm her.

 

“Are you kidding! We can't go chasing after them. They're dangerous, killers. I don't know what you're trying to achieve here, Buffy, but we can't let you near them.”

 

“No! I have to see them dance.”

 

“Shh, pet. It's alright.” He turned to Angel. “We'll keep our distance. They won't even notice us. She only wants to watch.”

 

“Fine, but we don't know what will happen if they see her or heaven forbid touch her. You'd better keep her on a tight leash.”

 

“Come on, love. Let's go find those wolves.”

 

 

 

 

 


	7. When In Romania

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped in the past, Angel and Spike have no choice to play Buffy's insane game. It's back to the days of moving town to town in the cover of night. With their insane girl in control, the boys realize that darkness has fallen over their souls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this got better as I wrote. Or maybe that's because I was more and more tired each time I opened the file and wrote a bit more. Just so we're clear, the sleepier I got the bigger my words got and the worse my grammar became. If you notice anything major feel free to let me know. Bad news my laptop is broken, good news; no more school for me because I HAVE GRADUATED! WOO! More time for fanfiction. That is whenever my mom lets me borrow her laptop/when I can steal it from her. Anyway, enjoy.

 

Buffy and Spike walked arm and arm with Angel skulking behind them. They followed the scent of the ones Buffy desperately sought. Spike kept trying to ask her what was so important that they see, but she refused to answer. Angel felt certain he'd already figured it out. She wanted them to remember what it's like to kill. To him it seemed a fruitless plan. They had souls and watching people die wouldn't change that. If anything his morality would rise so far to the surface that he'd feel compelled to help. _I''ll have to stay back from them. If I get too close, if there's screaming... it's an instinct really. I can't help but to save lives anymore._

 

The trail ended at the main route between this town and next. They must have had a carriage waiting for them. Angel tried to remember, but he couldn't recall this town or this road. He must have had other things on his mind at the time. Things that seemed so important then, but if Angel could remember them he thought it would probably make him feel sick.

 

“What now?” He asked the others. “They're long gone and we can't afford a cab of our own.”

 

Buffy pouted and looked at Spike. He thought for a moment. “Maybe we can steal one. I'm sure some idiot will leave one lying around unattended sooner or later.”

 

“There' no telling how long that will take.”

 

“Do you have a better idea?”

 

“Yeah. We go home.”

 

Buffy was about to stomp her foot and argue but Spike laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and said, “Listen.” They all frozen and kept quiet. They could hear horses and a wagon coming up the road. “I've got a better plan. Follow me.”

 

He led them a sort ways down the road, away from the town and into the woods where they wouldn't be seen. “Wait here a moment,” he said handing Buffy his leather coat. Buffy and Angel turned to look as a simple wooden cart pulled by two horses came into view. It was fairly small but well-built by someone who knew how to work with their hands, but was without means to buy one. That much was clear from the pure simplicity of it.

 

Buffy looked for Spike who had walked away toward the road and out of the woods. She didn't see him at first, but when she did she was shocked for a moment. She curbed the instinct to run to help him. He was lying on the ground on his back. His hair was disheveled and muddy, his face was painted with dirt, and he'd torn his shirt at the sleeves and chest revealing small slits of alabaster skin to the pale moon light. His arms rested at odd angles as though he'd been dropped or fallen there.

 

The man driving the wagon saw the odd dark form lying the ground. At first it appeared to be a rock or a large tree branch. The light of his lantern fell over Spike's body and the man gasped. He pulled the horses to a halt and jumped down from the carriage. He ran to apparently injured man. Spike groaned putting on a show for the stranger.

 

“Come on,” Angle whispered to Buffy. They moved soundlessly out of the trees and to the cart. Angel gestured to the back, but she didn't get in. She was watching the man hovering over Spike. Angel nudged her forward knowing they had little time before the man looked around for help and saw them.

 

“No,” She whispered and walked toward the man. Angel grabbed her arm. “No!” she yelled. The man jumped to his feet and turned around.

 

“Oi! What-” The man started before Spike jumped to his feet and pressed a hand to his mouth.

 

Buffy looked at Angel. He could see the hunger in her eyes. Hell, he could feel it in himself. It was dinner time and Buffy was having no delays. Angel looked at Spike almost begging him to say something, do something, to stop him. Spike returned the look. Angel let go of Buffy's arm. She looked at Angel gratefully before facing the struggling and terrified man with hungry eyes. She walked slowly, predatory to the man. He didn't know what was coming, but still he begged with his eyes. The muffled sounds that came from his throat did the same.

 

She ran the tips of her fingers down the man's cheek in a comforting manner before she sunk her teeth into his throat. He screamed behind the hand that held him. Once Buffy'd had her fill, Spike dragged the body into the trees. It wouldn't be found until they were long gone. Angel held the door open for Buffy as she climbed inside the cart. He didn't allow her to see how truly disturbed he felt, but once he was out of sight, his face twisted in distress. Spike climbed into the cart with Buffy. His face was blank emotionless. He refused to look at Buffy and instead stared out the window into the forest.

 

Buffy couldn't help but feel she'd done something wrong. She'd only been hungry and after all, neither of them had truly protested. They wanted her to eat didn't they? They wouldn't just let her starve. She watched Spike's face silently begging him to look at her and explain their odd reactions, but he ignored her. He didn't look mad or upset, in fact Buffy thought he appeared to have no emotion at all. Of course she knew that wasn't true. She could feel something boiling inside him. A rage of several burning and conflicting emotions as if he couldn't be sure what to do. _All is well my shining knight. I will remind you what it is to feel as sweet death overwhelms ones own victim. It is glorious._

 

Angel drove the cart down the road, allowing his memories to guide him in the right direction. For about the 50th time he told himself _It's the only way Buffy will get us home. As soon as she's seen them she'll let us all go._ He didn't really believe it. If she was this desperate for a grand vampire family, she won't be happy when Angel says no, that he won't go dark. _What if it's too late? I'm already going dark. Her presence alone is enough to... I couldn't even say no._

 

Spike could feel her gaze burning into his skin. He wished she'd look away, doze off into fairyland or wherever she goes when she gets lost in her insane thoughts. _What does she want from me? I won't go back to what I was, I can't. Angel would kill us both. Is that really the only thing stopping me? Would I lose my soul for her? Just to make her happy..._

 

Sharp pain stabbed through Buffy's skull. She gasped and pressed a hand to her forehead. _She was somewhere else. Somewhere she'd never seen before. It was dark and there was screaming outside. In fact outside was complete chaos. She could smell the fire and the fear. William was there. He lurked behind a pillar. He looked excited. A young Chinese girl walked in through a door on the other side of the room. William sauntered out from his hiding place and addressed her. “Wasn't sure if you were going to show, pet.” She pulled her sword from it's sheath._

 

“Buffy!” Spike shouted. Her held her by her shoulder having caught her when she appeared to have nearly fainted. “Buffy what's wrong?”

 

“So _beautiful_ ,” she whispered.

 

“Buffy... When did you start... You're psychic?” He started at her astounded. Angel stopped the cart and jumped down from his seat. Spike climbed out and Angel led him a few feet away where they could talk more privately.

 

“She's psychic?” Angel shouted.

 

“Keep it down.” Spike looked to toward the big wooden box where Buffy sat.

 

“Did you know about this?”

 

“Don't you think I would have told you? I'm just as surprised as you are.”

 

“That's why she brought us here,” Angel realized. “She saw Angelus and William.”

 

“What you she think she's planning on running off with them?”

 

“I don't know. Maybe, but she keeps saying she wants to show us something.”

 

“Do you think it's something specific? Because it's not like we weren't there. We _know_ what we did. _We're_ the ones that did it!”

 

Angel sighed. “What do you think she saw?”

 

“No idea.”

 

“Well did she say anything?”

 

“She said it was beautiful. Just insane nonsense, there's really no telling what she was talking about.” They both stared thoughtfully toward her. “It's not doing us any good sittin' around ponderin'. The girl's got a mission and we're not going home 'til she's satisfied one way or another. Where are we headed anyway?”

 

“Don't you remember? This is Budapest. We're not far from where I got my soul. The gypsy camp is another two villages over and then we headed toward China after hearing about the Rebellion.”

 

Spike shook his head to clear it. “This is all so weird.”

 

“Tell me about it. We need to head off so we can find shelter before sunrise.” Angel went back to his spot at the front of the cart and Spike rejoined Buffy. Spike sighed. Here they were back in a world in which is takes days to get from town to town. No cars or motorbikes or planes. Just horses and your own two feet. _Brilliant._

 

***

 

They reached the next town after 7 long hours. Buffy had spent nearly the entire ride chatting with herself and Spike was getting a headache. He loved the girl but man did she have a set of lungs. Angel's back was stiff and he was looking forward to a long rest. He would given his right arm for a feather bed if it would do any good. They had no money for a room and there wasn't anyone worth robbing out at the late hour. They'd have to find something old and abandoned, if there was such a thing nearby.

 

It was dark and quiet. The streets were empty of more than a stray cat and what sounded a lot like several raccoon. Angel stopped the old wagon at a hitch in front of a closed inn and hopped down. He stretched like a cat and his body crackled and popped. He tied the horse's reigns to the post.

 

“Finally,” Spike said and climbed out of the wagon. Buffy sat and hummed a song, wiggling her feet.

 

“Come on. We need to find somewhere to sleep.”

 

“Straight down to business then. Alright.” He offered Buffy a hand and she climbed out of the cart. They three walked through the small houses. Each one was locked up snug and full of people. No room for vampires. “Sun's gonna be up soon.”

 

“Thanks for the update.” Angel took another look around and was getting a bit anxious.

 

“The girl said good-bye,” Buffy said suddenly.

 

“What?” Angel asked.

 

“He's gone now and she said good-bye. She'll be lonely on her own. Until the sky turns white.”

 

“What girl?” Spike inquired.

 

“Amy.” She pointed between a row of houses where a girl stood. She was looking down the road. According to Buffy, watching someone leave. Buffy walked to meet her. The boys shared a look before following.

 

“Hello,” Buffy said to the girl.

 

She turned to face her surprised. “You speak English,” She said with a thick Romanian accent. She shook her head. “My apologies. We don't get many from England anymore.” She looked curiously at each of them.

 

“I'm Anne,” Buffy told the girl.

 

She smiled. “My name is Amelia. Papa calls me Amy.”

 

“My name's Liam,” Angel said. He slipped into his old Irish brogue easily as pulling on his favorite leather coat.

 

“Will.” Spike had never liked being called Will and had always preferred William, but if by chance she ran into his murderous counter-part he hopped the small difference would keep her from noticing the similarities. “It is nice to meet you, Amy.”

 

“If you're not from around here, you would be looking for a place to stay. Did you find room at the inn?” She asked.

 

Angel spoke first. “They were closed for the eve'in. Won't be room 'til tomorrow.”

“That's unfortunate. I believe I can help. My father left on business. If it's a room you need I have a spare. That is if the three of you don't mind sharing.” The kind girl was oblivious to the misfortune that could have befallen her had she spoken to the wrong set of vampires.

 

“We haven't any money-” Angel began.

 

“I don't need money. I just want to help.”

 

“That's very kind of you. We left the horse tethered by the inn.”

 

“I can show you to my home before you go to retrieve it. It's not far.” She led them back down the road only a few yards before approaching the door of a small, white two story house with a small garden out back that could just barely be seen from the side. There was a small porch. A lantern was glowing from where it sat on the rail. She took the lantern and opened the unlocked door before inviting them, unknowing of the invitation's necessity.

 

“Thank you,” Angel said. “We'll just go and get our cart. Anne can wait her with you.” The girl nodded and Spike let with Angel.

 

“Was it a good idea to leave Buffy alone with her?” Spike asked.

 

“If she wants to kill the girl... she would found a way of doing so anyway. She's getting awfully good at convincing us.”

 

“Why is that? I mean I have a hard time telling the girl no but you... you just _let it happen._ You feelin' alright, Peaches?”

 

Angel sighed. “I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I'm clinging to this hope that... if we wait long enough or we sort of trigger it, she'll remember who she is. She'll be Buffy again.”

 

“She'll never be Buffy again. She's like us now.”

 

“Like we used to be.”

 

“If what happened tonight means anything, like we still are.”

 

Spike's words triggered Angel's brood mode. He spent the rest of the brisk walk (and then ride) mentally punishing himself for his sudden lapse of morality. Even when Darla and Drusilla had returned to him he hadn't sunk this low. Buffy was dragging him down.

 

When they returned to Amy's house, there was a candle lit in the window. The glowing lantern was sitting somewhere inside. Angel tied the horse to the porch rail and patted it's head. It looked awfully tired, but Angel didn't dare let it loose. They would need it to make where ever they were headed if they wanted to make it in one piece rather than in ashes. Amy stepped outside and Angel felt relief cross his face.

 

“There's a small stable out back. She can rest there.”

 

“She?” Angel looked at the horse. Was it a she?

The girl laughed. “You don't know your own horse is female? Does she even have a name?” She walked down the two porch steps to pat the brunette horse's head.

 

“Uh-”

 

“Fred,” Spike said.

 

“Fred? Is that a man's name?”

 

“It was, uh, my sister's name,” Spike said as he thought of sweet little Fred Burkle killed by that stupid smurf.

 

“Well I shall take Fred around back then.” She untied the reigns from the post. “Your companion is abed. The poor child was exhausted. You'll find her inside, down the hall, last door on the left.”

 

Angel went inside. “I'll accompany you if you don't mind,” Spike said. Amy gave him a sweet smile and they walked around back.

 

“So if you don't mind my asking, what happened to Fred. Your sister.”

 

“Well, she was... she was trying to help me and Liam. And it got her killed. She was only trying to help. I- We, there was nothing we could do. She got sick.”

 

Amy seemed to understand. “That's what happened to my mother,” She said sadly. “She got sick and then one day she couldn't get out of bed...”

 

The put the horse in the stable and left the wagon nearby. They didn't talk as they walked back to the house. They were lost in the memories of the ones they'd lost. But before they stepped inside Amy said, “That's the worst part though. You cannot help them. Some one you love is sick and there is nothing you can do. You can watch or can turn your head, but you cannot fight a sickness.” Spike felt that truer words had never been spoken.

 

***

 

Amelia didn't bother them while they slept. She thought of waking them for breakfast, but she thought of how tired Anne had looked when she'd shown her to extra room and she decided not to. She feed their horse and gave it water. Fred seemed to really like her so she spent a bit stroking her mane and singing her a song that her mother used to sing to her. Her guests didn't rise until sunset. Tired from a long journey she assumed. They set out at once after thanking her for her kindness. She couldn't even convince them to eat with her first. _How very odd those strangers are_ , she thought.

 

"She's right though," Spike said as they prepared to set out. "We haven't eaten. It's starting to show. Look at my skin." It was true. His skin was becoming translucent and his eyes were slightly red. Angel was no different. It would be noticeable soon and people would think they had the plague. Angel of course was prepared. No one would notice if three pigs went missing. Not until they were long gone. Assuming Buffy didn't put up too much fuss about drinking pig's blood. Of course if they dead pig bodies were found in the woods... well most likely they would blame the nearby gypsy camp and pray that they hadn't been cursed.

 

 


	8. Into the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy finds that catching up to Angelus isn't all she thought it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Romanian translations are at the end of the chapter.

After three days of traveling, stealing pigs, and robbing locals for _just_ enough to get a room for the day they finally found Angelus and the others. It was nearly too late. Buffy peered around a tent and watched as a young blonde woman snuck across the path. She slipped unseen (by anyone other than Buffy) into a larger more extravagant tent. There was a small squeal. Then, Darla left the tent, hidden by the towering trees, with a small girl in her arms.

 

***

 

The night had just begun. Angel had been certain that Angelus was in this town at this exact time. He wouldn't say how he knew. After the group had set out, Spike confirmed this by saying he could smell Darla's sleazy French perfume over top all of the scum. Most of the people here only spoke Romanian, which left it Angel to do the dealings. He thought it would be best if they bought their food for a change. In the crowded street it simple to snag a purse off a passing business man. They visited the nearest butchers shop and Angel argued rather aggressively with the butcher over the price. The shouting made Buffy a bit uncomfortable, but when it was done he seemed to have earned the Romanian man's respect. They went back to their inn room to drink their blood in privacy.

 

“No! Are you trying to poison me?” Buffy shouted.

 

“Buffy, shh. Calm down,” Angel tried to reason.

 

“Buffy it's blood. Just blood no poison, see?” Spike said and took a gulp of his own portion.

 

“ _No._ It's cold and slimy and it smells like garbage.” She wrinkled her nose at the offensive fluid that Angel offered her.

 

“Buffy we are **not** doing this now. Drink the damn blood-”

 

 

There was a knock at the door. “E totul în regulă?”1 A man called from the other side of the old, molded barrier.

 

 “Totul este bine. Lasă-ne,”2 Angel called back. The man went away.

 

“Buffy, you're not getting anything else. You can drink the blood or you can starve.”

 

“Angel. Buffy, he doesn't mean that-”

 

“Yes I do. She's not killing-”

 

“Of course not! But she has to eat.” Spike looked at Buffy. “Slay- Buffy. You have to eat.” He said trying to calmly reason with her.

 

Buffy stared at the floor. She hadn't meant to upset Angel. She just didn't like animal blood and to top it off it was room temperature. With a sigh she took the tanned leather sack of blood that smelt like goat from Angel. She refrained from gagging as she swallowed the unpleasant substance.

 

Angel gulped down his own and hoped the others didn't notice when he made a face. He wasn't any happier about cold goat blood either, but leaving a trail of dead pigs was dangerous business. Spike didn't bother to hide his displeasure.

 

They tossed the raw meat out of the window. It was eaten by stray dogs.

 

They set out to find Buffy's wolves. Angel knew they didn't have much time. Soon, everything that was Angelus would be taken over by something pathetic and repentant. Buffy would be disappointed. He didn't want that. He wouldn't allow himself to think about why.

 

Angel followed his memory more than the scent of French perfume and dried human blood. He remembered walking down this street. He even remembered passing a few of these people. He recognized a man he'd growled at after the drunk had tripped and fallen over onto Drusilla nearly knocking them both to the ground. He saw a whore who Darla had nearly killed right there on the street after she'd tried to talk Angelus into her bed. Angelus and William had both laughed earning Angelus a smack and William a sharp glare. Angel noticed the girl looked a bit riled as he passed by.

 

“They're not far,” Angel said.

 

“Yeah. I remember. The grand estate party. Invitation only. Too bad we don't have one,” Spike said his voice grim.

 

“We didn't then either.”

 

“Ah.” They shared a look. “Costel Moldoveanu”

 

“And his wife Adela.”

 

“We killed them. You and Darla took their names. Me and Dru passed as your cousins.”

 

“There they are now.” Angel nodded toward a couple headed in the same direction. A tall dark haired man walked with a younger lighter-haired woman. As they watched, the couple was approached by none other than Angelus and Darla. William and Drusilla were right behind them. The six shared a laugh, though Spike knew William was faking it. He didn't speak Romanian. The Romanians followed them trustingly into the dark side street.

 

Buffy ran to get a look. “Buffy wait,” Spike hissed as he and Angel ran after her.

 

They grabbed her and pulled her back before she could run right up to them. Drusilla turned to look, but they pulled Buffy out of sight just in time. She pouted a bit, but seemed to get that she should be quiet and she didn't make a sound.

 

The shop at the corner of the two streets was empty. Spike kicked the door in and pulled Buffy in behind him. They had a perfect view from the shop window. Angelus held the terrified woman tightly in his arms. William held the man. They made him watch as Angelus tore into the screaming woman's throat. The man screamed and fought to save his wife, but she was dead in an instant. Drusilla bounced delightedly and Darla smiled proudly. William killed the man after Angelus dropped his dead wife's body to the ground. The stashed the bodies behind some old crates. They wouldn't stay long enough to get caught.

 

Angel felt sick. His eyes were wide as he stared into the space that once contained his younger self. Spike was silent. He felt a bit dizzy. Buffy looked excitedly at them both, but her face fell when she saw their reactions. She was confused. They still didn't understand. Even after all her hard work.

 

“I don't understand,” She said looking at each of them in turn. “Weren't they beautiful? Didn't you see them?”

 

“Yeah pet. We saw,” Spike said sadly. “Wish we hadn't.”

 

“But...” Buffy sighed and sat on the dusty old floor. The three of them sat in silence for a long while. “Why?” Buffy asked them.

 

“We aren't like that anymore, Buffy. We don't kill people,” Spike tried to explain.

 

Buffy stood up feeling frustrated. She looked at Angel who had practically turned to stone. She fled the dusty old room and ran off down the street. They couldn't understand, she could see that now. They weren't the same. They weren't like her. Neither of them noticed her absence. They were too caught up in their troubled minds.

 

She left them behind. She didn't want to stop. It was as if she was looking for something, but she didn't know what and she didn't know where to find it. So she continued on. Down the street, past the crowd that filed into a large ornate house, and beyond the edge of the small town. She walked through the darkened forest, along the dirt path.

 

After a long while (Buffy wasn't sure how long, but had she been human, she knew that she feet would be hurting), a carriage drove past her. A second nearly ran her down not long after. Buffy could see a camp not far in the distance. About twenty tents and just as many covered wagons.

 

When she reached the camp, most of its inhabitants were asleep. All of them were inside. She was careful not to allow the low burning fires to cast her shadow on any of the tents. She spotted a woman ahead of her and ducked behind the closest tent. The woman silently entered a large tent. Buffy heard a surprised squeal followed by a thump. She could see Darla's face alight with excitement as she carried the unconscious girl in her arms. Darla set the girl inside a carriage before joining her. The carriage took them away, back to the town.

 

Buffy found the other carriage she'd seen earlier. The driver was about to take off when she stepped in front of the twin horses.

 

“Dă-te din drum!” The man shouted at her.

 

“Ce se întâmplă?3” Another man called from inside.

 

Buffy had a clever idea. She stared deep into the man's eye's. He grew frustrated, then confused. She concentrated, pouring her will into him. She'd heard Drusilla could do it, but she was never psychic other than the visions all slayers recieved and she wasn't a slayer anymore. But maybe it was a vampire power. Maybe Buffy could do it too.

 

The man stepped out from inside the coach and froze when he spotted Buffy. She walked to him. He looked confused at the driver who sat unmoving on his seat. Buffy grabbed the man's head and pulled it to the side. She bit into his throat and bled him dry. She dropped the lifeless body to the ground as pain grew in her head.

 

_An old gypsy woman spoke in an ancient language, casting a spell over an orb. The orb glowed at her words and filed with swirling golden light. In the woods, Angelus ran. He'd been running so long and he knew he couldn't stop. The angry gypsies chanced after him. They were forcing to their camp. Angelus was more afraid than he'd ever been since becoming a vampire._

Buffy's eyes were wide and frightened. She left the dazed driver at his post and walked back into the camp. She would kill the elder gypsy woman before Angel could ever be created.

 

 

***

 

Angel slowly came out of his soul-induced coma. He immediately noticed Buffy was missing. “Spike?”

 

“Yeah?” The somber voice replied.

 

“Where's Buffy?”

 

They looked around the room. Her scent had faded. She'd been gone for some time. The boys sprung to their feet. “Buffy!” Spike shouted.

 

They ran from the room and out to the street. Angel caught her scent and they ran after her. They reached the edge of town.

 

“Where is she going?” Angel wondered.

 

“It looks like nothing but dark wood for miles,” Spike said.

 

Angel's eye grew wide. “The gypsy camp.” Spike looked mortified. If she got into trouble down there, those gypsies had very powerful magic. At the very least they'd kill her. The pair ran down the long dirt road. They hadn't gotten far when a carriage came down the road and they had to move into the woods to keep out of sight. They the rest of the way under the cover of the trees. Occasionally one of them would step back onto the road to be certain Buffy hadn't doubled back.

 

They reached the camp just as a coach was leaving. They followed Buffy's scent and found themselves looking a man who sat unmoving and unblinking into the forest. He seemed to be hypnotized or under a spell. Spike had seen that look before.

 

“Drusilla? She... Dru, she could do that, but not now. It took practice and time. She didn't figure it out for decades.”

 

“Drusilla hasn't been here. This was Buffy.”

 

“How could she...”

 

“We'll ask questions later. Look.” Angel pointed down the row of tents.  Buffy was walking down the row, searching for something.

 

“Angel.” Spike spotted a man headed in Buffy's direction. He hadn't seen her yet. He ran and grabbed Buffy around the waist, covering her mouth and pulling her behind a tent until the man passed them by. She slipped away from him and almost got away, but he pulled her back. “Buffy, what are you thinking?”

 

“Let me go Spike!” She punched him in the jaw and ran for it. This time Angel caught her. “Stop it! I have to go. Let me go!”

 

“Quiet, you're going to get us all caught.”

 

“No!”

 

“Angel. Do something.” Spike looked around nervously. Angel was trying a hand pressed over Buffy's mouth but he couldn't hold her and keep her somewhat quiet.

 

“Don't you think I'm trying? _You_ do something.”

 

“What do you want me to do, knock her unconscious?”

 

“Ya know,” He grunted as Buffy dug her teeth into his arm. “That's really not a bad idea.”

 

Spike rolled his eyes. “Buffy knock it off, we don't have time for this.”

 

“Yeah that's helping.”

 

“This is ridiculous.” Spike grabbed the girl away from Angel and put her over his shoulder.

 

“Hey! Stop it! I have to-”

 

“Oh, shut up would you.”

 

Buffy sighed, and pouted, but otherwise stopped making noise.

 

***

 

When they made it back to the town, Buffy started struggling again. Angel decided it _really was_ a good idea to knock her out. So he had Spike do it.

 

“Stupid git. Can't knock a girl out on your own.”

 

“It was your idea.”

 

Spike set her down on their bed back at the inn having payed for another day. “What do we do now?”

 

“I'm not sure. I mean she got what she wanted right? She should be taking us home.”

 

“Yeah but I get the feeling she has other plans. She was on a _mission_ back there. She's not finished yet.”

Angel sighed. “I think you're right.”

 

“Well... I don't know about you, but I could go for a drink.”

 

“We shouldn't leave her alone. She could run off again. I'll stay here.”

 

“Suit yourself, mate.” He left and made his way to the bar.

 

Angel watched Buffy sleep. Her hair was tangled, her dress was dirty, and there was blood on her left hand. It hurt him seeing her like this. He reached over and carefully untied her gown and pulled it off of her. It was so torn and ruined. It was hardly a good costume anymore. Next to him and Spike she would have looked like a whore and he could stand people looking at her like that. She still had Drusilla's old dress on underneath. It was pristine, but not exactly the right time period. Not that it would matter. He'd make sure Buffy's got them home as soon as possible. He wished he has a brush to take care of her hair. He lie down next to her and though back to when she was warm and tan. A smile crossed his face as he drifted to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No I don't actually speak Romanian (thanks google).
> 
> 1Is everything alright?
> 
> 2All is well. Leave us.
> 
> 3Get out of the way!
> 
> What's going on?


	9. Helping Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy has a vision, but she's going to need a little help if she wants to get where she'd going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for domestic violence. If you wish to skip it (you probably should have read the tags better), you will find it in italics.

The little blonde noticed none of the looks she received as she walked softly across the bar room in the front of the inn. She saw Spike sitting at a stool in the front. His leather jacket drew attention, but not enough to cause him any trouble. Unless of course the pretty brunette across the room finally tired of eye-balling him and left her date to do something about it. Buffy briefly considered doing something about it herself before shaking her head and moving on.

She escaped unnoticed by her leather-clad companion in to the steadily warming night. She hurried done the street, looking for a hiding place or some form of escape. Buffy hadn’t been careful to think it through, her only thought coherent thought being, “I must run with the wolves. Mustn’t let them catch the sunshine.” She hadn’t made it far when she was caught up by the unexpected pain in her brain. The young vampire moaned, clutching the sides of her head. The image of Spike with the young Chinese slayer flashed through her mind. Her stomach growled at the sight of warm blood on his lips.

When she opened her eyes, she was on her knees. Hands pressed lightly on her shoulders and warm breath caressed her face.

“Madame? Do you speak English? Français peut-etre?” A man with a French accent asked her. His eyes were blue. His hair was brown, and Buffy knew he was just the help she needed.

“Like looking at the sky,” She whispered.

“English then. Are you alright? Are you well?” He asked, concern written across his features.

“I- please. They-“She tried to calm the chaos in her head to offer the kind man an explanation, but it couldn’t be done. “The wolves. I have to…” She shook her head in frustration.

“Wolves? Do you mean… did someone hurt you?”

It wasn’t what she’d been trying to say, but it would have to do. She nodded feigning weakness. She panicked as she felt faint sunlight, undetectable to the Frenchman, on her back.

“Please, it hurts,” She whined.

“Come with me, chéri. Step inside.”

Buffy let the stranger lead her away. She sighed with relief one they were behind closed doors. The man assumed she was relieved to be hidden from her assailants.

“Gregory, who is your friend?” A man who sat in the kitchen asked. A Romanian woman sat at the dining table. She had long brown hair that hung in her eyes. She kept her face turned down. If Buffy could see her eyes, she knew they would be wary and fearful. She could feel the emotion rolling off of her skin.

“She’s no one, Uncle. She is in need of rest. I didn’t think you would mind.” The man, Gregory, said as he placed his coat on a hook by the door.

“Decidedly not. The child can rest, but don’t think I will cater to any strays you desire to bring into my home. You are a guest in this house nephew,” The other said sharply.

Buffy looked at man and found what she saw disturbing. The air around him was hot and thick like road tar in the summer. “Slash and pound. Afraid to lose control, lose the power. Needs the fear,” She muttered, surprising herself.

“What did she say?” He shouted. The woman whimpered.

“Nothing. She’s tired. Come now, cheri,” He led Buffy down the hall to that right. “We’ll be on our way after she’s rested,” He called back to his uncle who grumbled in response.

They passed a wash-room on the left and went into the second and final room. There were two small candles lit on a table and a low bed with a tan blanket. There was one small window covered in heavy blue drapes. The closet hung open, but was entirely empty.

“You can rest here. You’ll be safe.”

Buffy sat down on the bed. It was a lot better than the cots that she’d gotten used to even if the blanket _was_ a bit scratchy. She smiled, pleased. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome, cheri.” He blew out each of the candles and left her alone.

She pushed off her shoes and climbed into the borrowed bed. The pillow smelt faintly of a young woman, unfamiliar to Buffy. Her scent was similar to that of Gregory’s uncle. She drifted softly to sleep.

_Sarah Bonnet helped her mother set the table for the evening meal. She knew is she didn’t set is properly, her father would be angry. Sometimes when he was angry he threw things. Sometimes he hit her. Sometimes he hit her mother. She didn’t want that. So she did her best to please him, though he never said thank you or even acknowledged her good work._

_But her work wasn’t good enough this time. She saw he father clench his teeth and turn to face her, but her mother had stepped in the way. “She’s just a child,” She tried to defend her. He struck her and split her lip in doing so. Sarah had cried, twisting her fingers in her long brown hair. Ames Bonnet was known for abusing his wives. Buffy stood by as unnoticed as the pink fleur de li hair pin that fell from Camille Bonnet’s hair and onto the floor._

_After killing his second wife in his rage, Ames fled France with his daughter to find a place where such things would go unnoticed._

When Buffy woke, the sun was low. Her dreams of young Sarah Bonnet disturbed her. She’d felt the girls pain.

Gregory was nowhere to be seen, but she could hear someone moving around in the washroom. She slipped on her shoes and followed the sound. The woman was filling the tub with cool water from the tap.

She turned and spotted Buffy just inside the door and let out a surprised gasp. “I did not see you,” She said with a hand pressed to her chest. “Did you need something?”

Buffy walked closer to the center of the room, taking in the deep wash tub, the shelf of handmade soaps and cloths, and the dim light given off by the two lanterns. “I’m Buffy. You must be the third.”

“I-I am Stela,” She said, startled by Buffy’s odd presumption. “Is there something you want?” The woman was growing fearful as Buffy moved closer.

“I can help you.” She said as she moved close enough to touch the woman. “The poor girl never had a chance.” She reached out and stroked the shaking woman’s neck. “Nothing to fear anymore.”

***

Buffy washed her bloody hands in the water Stela had prepared, turning it pink. She walked back out into the hall.

“Ah, there you are, chéri,”Gregory said, leaving the bedroom where he’d been looking for her. “You are feeling better, I see. I don’t believe I had the chance to introduce myself last night. I am Gregory Bonnet,” He offered his hand. Buffy took it and he kissed the back of her hand politely.

“I’m Buffy Summers.”

“Well, Mademoiselle Summers, I’ll be leaving for my journey to China soon. Is there anywhere I can take? Do you have family nearby?”

“China?” Buffy asked getting excited.

“Yes, I am a tradesman. I have silks and porcelain that must get to China immediately. There’s been talk of a rebellion and I’d like to be well out of the way when it happens.

“I have family there. In fact I wouldn’t mind making the trip with, if you’ll have me.”

“Why chéri, that is the best news I have heard all day,” He said with a smile. “I have a few things to pack before we head out. You should eat before we go. My aunt Stela left supper for you.”

Gregory left Buffy to hunt down her dinner. He stepped outside into the dimming sunlight. Buffy went to the kitchen. There was fresh bread and venison cooling on the table. At the head of the table sat the monster of her recent nightmares, Ames Bonnet.

 

***

 

“I thought the point of staying here was so you could watch her! Instead you’re here napping on the job,” Spike said irritated. He noticed the pile of rich blue fabric. “Is that… Did you…”

Angel’s eyes followed Spike’s. “What? No, of course not!”

“You shared the bed,” Spike pointed out, clearly jealous.

“No we were sleeping.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened then. She gave you the fake-out and then snuck off while you were snoozing. Not only that, but she’s out there in the tiny little dress. That’s just begging for some low-life to snatch her up.”

Angel paced across the room. His thoughts were already trying to put together where Buffy would have gone, completely oblivious to Spike’s ranting.

“We need to get moving, the sun’s set,” Spike said, snapping Angel out of his thoughts.

“Her scent is probably long gone. Washed away by the filth in this town. She would have caught a ride anyway.”

“Well we can’t just sit here and brood the night away, can we?”

Angel rolled his eyes and they headed out. They caught faith traces of Buffy’s scent scattered here and there along the road. It was like she’d walked in a zigzag as if she were very drunk. As Angel began to give up hope on catching her scent and Spike became so frustrated he had to control himself from slipping into gameface, Spike spotted something on the ground. A small white pearl. Due to its size, he wouldn’t have noticed it if it hadn’t been laying on flat ground and rolled under his boot as he stepped down.

“Angel,” He said, getting the older vampire’s attention. He showed him his finding.

“At least we know for certain she came this way,” He said. “We still have no idea where she is.”

Spike tossed the pearl down where it rolled under a salesman’s cart. The man standing next to it insisted to a man passing by that his ancient remedy could cure the man’s bad back. The man’s appearance caught Spike’s attention. He was dressed as though Chinese, but clearly he was Romanian.

“Angel. What year does this look like to you?”

He looked around. “1897, 98, somewhere around then. Why?”

Spike met Angel’s eyes as he pieced it together. “The rebellion! In China!” Several people stared at him curiously. He lowered his voice. “The Boxer Rebellion. The slayer I offed...”

“You think Buffy is going to China?”

“It’s the best guess we’ve got and we’re not finding her here. There’s nothing left to track.”

“She would certainly be able to find Angelus there. Only with a soul.”

“But there’s still Spike and Drusilla,” Spike pointed out.

“Yeah, she never really cared about William.”

“Yes she did! That was her whole purpose.”

“Oh, yeah right! Like she’d go after pathetic little William,” Angel taunted.

“I was never pathetic, I was young!” Spike shouted. “She never wanted Angelus in the first place. He’s all boring and- and he’s a prat!”

Angel growled. “I-“

“Gentleman!” A strange voice interrupted. “If you would please,” they turned to look at the new comer. It was a young gypsy woman. Her dark hair was tied up with multicolored ribbons and her skirts were uncommonly clean. Her eye shown with wisdom that was untrue to her age. “Come with me.” She gestured to a building behind her. “I think I can help you.”

Angel turned to look at Spike who shrugged. “Come inside,” She said with a knowing look.

“We don’t need any help, thank you,” Angel said suspiciously.

“Oh, but you do.” She stepped closer to them and lowered her voice. “The girl will reach the slayer before you can stop her if you do not come quickly.” She turned and went inside leaving them to follow.

“Well, looks like the bird has a solution,” Spike said moving to follow.

Angel threw his arm out to stop him. “Wait. She’s a gypsy. It could be a trap.”

“Yeah, right.” He stopped. Then he shrugged. “Only one way to find out. It’s not like we haven’t got souls already.” He pushed past Angel and went inside. Angel took a deep breath and then he followed.

 


	10. All Roads Lead Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a long road to China...

Ames sat back in his chair feeling content after finishing his meal. Buffy approached the table and stop next to it to stare at the man. He looked at her annoyed by her staring. She tilted her head to one side.

"Don't you have something to be doing?" Ames asked irritated.

"Pretty maids in a row. You keep them in line don't you? A row of corpses," Buffy said.

The man jumped in his seat. Buffy could hear his heart pounding. "What are you going on about?" Ames asked.

"Hands stained red," She growled. "Cursed with death." She could almost feel the man's blood run cold. He stood up from his chair and backed away with wide eyes. She stalked forward trapping him between herself and the wall. His eyes flicked toward the hall to his right. Buffy reached toward him and he ran down the hall and into his own bedroom. He looked the door and tried to find something to barricade it with but there was nothing.

The locked door was no match for the vampire and she kicked it down easily. A scream broke free of Ames's throat. "Pl-please. It was an accident. I never meant to harm anyone!"

Buffy shook her head disbelieving. "Wasn't just one was it? Can never stop at one. Belle, Camille, Sarah. You broke them all. The sunshine doesn't like such nasty vermin. Someone should punish the rat. The Angel isn't here to avenge them." Buffy paused looking thoughtful. "But the sunshine can burn all the same."

She shifted into her true face and Ames nearly fainted from the shock. She grabbed him and pulled him to her as he whimpered and cried. His blood was pumped full of adrenaline. It did nothing to mask the taste of filth on the vampire's tongue.

Buffy left the body to rot and sat down at the dining table just as Gregory returned. "Are you alright, cheri? I heard banging," He asked concerned.

"I'm fine."

"Good," he looked relieved. "My uncle can have a bit of a temper. Have you eaten enough?"

"Yes and I'm ready to head out now," she said politely.

"As am I. Just as soon as I bid farewell to my family. Where did uncle Ames run off to?"

Buffy panicked for a second before regaining composure and saying. "He retired early."

Gregory nodded. "I thought he might. He was looking a bit drained earlier this evening. Stela as well?" Buffy nodded. "Well then I believe it is time we set out. We have a long way to go."

***

The pair left the old Romanian town behind them. As to the blood on his companions hands, Gregory was none the wiser.

Inside the gypsy's home Spike sat comfortably across the table from the woman. Angel leaned against the door frame, ready to make a break for it. Not that he would admit he planned to run from the small woman.

"I know who you are. I have seen where you come from. A strange time that I will not pretend to understand. There is no time to discus it. I have seen the girl. The one that you arrived with. Yes I have been watching you," she said to Angel's distrusting look. "Your presence here is unnatural. Many of us could feel the disturbance in time itself. We have seen what is to come."

"What do you mean 'we', Spike asked.

"My sisters and myself." two younger girls came hesitantly into the room from the door on Spike's left. They sat at the table looking down shyly. "We see what is meant to be and what is soon to be. The blonde girl, Buffy-"

"She is going to alter the effects of time!" the youngest said suddenly looking with excited eyes toward Spike. Her older sisters looking annoyed at her.

"What is it she's gonna do, pet?" Spike asked her.

The girl blushed at the pet name. "She's... the vampire slayer..." the girl mumbled suddenly shy again. Angel looked at her confused. Buffy _was_ the slayer. Past tense. She's dead now, so what is that tiny gypsy going on about?

The final sister nodded in agreement. "She will rewrite history as it is known."

Then the first sister said,"Unless you can stop her."

"She's going to kill the Chinese slayer, isn't she?" Spike asked. The three nodded solemnly confirming his theory. He turned at looked at Angel, his face a combination of "I knew it" and "Bloody hell!"

"She's has several hours head start on us. What do you expect us to do while you're holding us up here?" Angel asked impatiently.

"There is a ritual," said the oldest sister.

"We can transport you to the very time and place that Buffy will find the slayer," said the middle sister.

"And you can save her!" the youngest said, again excited.

"It must all be restored to its proper pattern," the oldest said with a knowing look directed at Spike. The young slayer would die either way, but it wasn't meant to be job. It was Spike's. A younger more murderous Spike.

"Great," Angel said clapping his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road then. We're losing moon light."

***

The journey was long and tiresome. Buffy wished more than anything to be in a car. Several times she told Gregory so. He laughed at her "enchanting" stories of metal carriages that drive themselves. He grew to adore the small broken girl. He found her ranting to be a comfort on the silent forest roads. They saw little traffic as they went and Gregory worried that they would find China in ruins by the time they reached it.

Finally they reached their destination and all of Gregory's fears were realized. There were fires burning in every building. The streets were lined with bodies and overturned carts. Some of the roads were blocked off by the debris that had piled up. The main city gate was missing whole boards. It appeared at one point someones had tried to close the city and off and someone else had responded with a battering ram. Gregory parked his cart on the side of the road and jumped down. He helped Buffy down.

Gregory watched the city burn feeling confused and disoriented. Buffy felt nothing but hungry. Her mission ran chaotically through her mind. Find the girl. Find Spike. Run with wolves. Dance with real beasts. The purest of monsters. She wasted no more time. Her face shifted and twisted. The sound of bone morphing and grinding together drew Gregory's attention and he nearly fainted at the sight of Buffy's true face.

Of course, she wouldn't want to be rude. "Thank you, Gregory. I wouldn't have made it without you," she said sweetly through rows of fangs. She tore into his neck. His screams went unnoticed as the fires raged on. Once Buffy had fed enough to keep herself from distraction, she headed into the city. The air was full of the stench of death, fear, and smoke. As she recognized her path she grew in confidence. She strutted along the road and found the right building and then the right room. Neither Spike nor the slayer would see her from where she hid behind a pillar.

It wasn't long before the young girl strode into the room. She had coming looking for supplies to help the injured. Slayer or no, she was not permitted to fight and so she helped however she could. Her watcher said that was a good sign that she would grow into a strong slayer who would do her country proud. She smiled proudly at the thought.

Spike stalked her from the opposite hall. Her steps were light but the building was symmetrical and he could tell where she was on the matching opposite side. He peered into the room and Buffy almost gave herself away with an excited gasp. Both Spike and the slayer were too wrapped up in their tasks to notice her presence and things played out the way they were always meant to. Spike strode into the room and the pair immediately sized each other up. Spike licked his lips and Buffy suddenly wondered what slayer's blood would taste like. He taunted and bragged and teased the slayer but if she understood him she didn't respond. The two found themselves wedged between two columns. A large explosion went off to Spike's right and the building shook dislodging debris. A large beam above Buffy's head fell and she jumped and she jumped and rolled out of the way just before it smacked into her head.

She found herself about 4 feet from Spike's boots as he twisted the slayer's arm around and broke it before pulling it behind her back. He noticed the hungry look in the strange new vampire's eyes. "Wait your turn pet," he told her. Buffy intended to rip the slayer from his arms when she was distracted by a sudden rush of mystical energy. Someone had cast a pretty powerful spell and she had a feeling Angel was involved. Spike didn't notice it and went about biting victoriously into the slayer's neck.

Buffy watched from where she knelt at . The girl spoke before she lost consciousness. "Want a taste then love?" he asked Buffy. She nodded and stood. The sound of feet thudding against the floor echoed from down the hall. Buffy ignored it and took the throat that was offered to her. Spike walked away from her to greet Drusilla. Buffy lost herself in the slayer's blood. It was so pure; pure love, strength, power. She had never tasted anything so intoxicating.

The persons attached to those loud running feet finally found her. Angel skidded into the room and saw the mess in Buffy's arms. "Buffy. What have you done?" He asked. Spike was right behind Angel. The sight of the dead slayer brought back that blissful memory of violence, blood, and sex.

Buffy dropped the cooling body to the ground and smiled. She'd made quite a bloody mess on her face around her red stained lips. She closed her eyes swaying in a calm and rhythmic pattern. Angel looked nervously at the entangled couple that had slid onto the floor. They were too wrapped in each other to notice anything else. _Good_. Angel thought unsure of how to deal with that sort of paradox.

"Buffy," he said. "It's time to go home." She didn't acknowledge him. She was busy humming song that Angel thought sounded like the one Joyce used to hum while she cooked. Spike was busy watching his previous self get all tangled up with his previous girl friend. "Buffy," Angel tried again.

He walked toward her careful to step around the small pool of blood that the others hadn't bothered to gulp down in their excitement. Gently, he grabbed her right arm. Her eyes blinked open and she looked up at him lazily.

"The angels come at last," she said with a laugh. Angel's blood lust roared to life from the smell of blood on her breath. Not just any blood of course, but slayer's blood. Angel still remembered what Buffy's was like. He shivered.

"We're going home now," he growled clenching his teeth. He just wanted to be back in his office nursing a warm mug of pigs blood with a hint of otter. Spike finally snapped out his daze to join them.

"Come on, pet. I could kill for a shower." There was another large explosion and the ceiling cracked, preparing to cave in. Buffy was still lost in a trance. "Uh, Buffy..."

Angel grabbed her and she squealed. Past Spike and past Dru disentangled themselves and ran off laughing and chatting excitedly. Current Spike followed Angel as he pulled Buffy outside. The building collapsed behind them.

"You've had you're fun Buffy. It's time to go," Angel said.

"Time. Time," She giggled. "Who's got the time? Oh, yeah." She snapped out of her trance. "I do." She pulled the amulet out from inside her dress. "Who needs wolves when you can become a lioness?" She sighed. She took Spike's hand and she closed her eyes. Same as before, in a flash they were gone.

As Spike and Drusilla walked arm and arm through the chaos Dru watched the whole thing in her mind. "The Angel left with the sunshine. But he didn't leave poor Princess. Princess has an Angel of her own, but sunshine has a way of making trouble. I won't forget."


	11. Good As Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang makes it home, but at what cost?

The city was quiet with the soft sounds of the night people finally going to sleep whether willingly or due to intoxication. The day people slapped their alarm clocks and requested "five more minutes" to the emptiness of their bedrooms. The sun threatened to rise above the horizon and any vampire in their right mind was now tucked in their bed or safely behind the sun filtering glass of Wolfram & Hart. Buffy however, was not in her right mind and therefore sat on the ground leaning against Angel's car waiting patiently for her favorite boys to wake up. She sang to them as they slept. Spike lay on face with his right arm twisted awkwardly underneath him. Angel was on his back his face covered in the dust that had been kicked up by their sudden appearance.

Buffy noticed Spike's hair was starting to turn brown at the roots and had grown considerably longer. It was endearingly messy and Buffy crawled over to him to run her fingers through it. He was right. A shower was definitely the first thing any of them needed. Her fingers in her hair loosed a month's worth of dirt and grime. The blond was darker from it and the more Buffy played with it the more of the white color came back. She made a game of trying to restore what of left of the blonde to its proper color. She thought of William's long brown hair. It was quite beautiful and she wondered if Spike would let it grow back out if she asked.

Spike woke gently to find soft and comforting fingers tangled in his hair. "Buffy," he said. "What happened?" He rolled over and stretched cat-like. Her bright eyes shined down at him and couldn't help but smile. He noticed the building surrounding them and Angel's car parked to his right. "Home sweet home. Bloody hell, love!" He jumped to his feet. "The sun's gonna be up any minute. Why didn't you wake us?"

He walked over to Angel and kicked him in the side. The vampire grunted and woke up. "What?" he grumbled irritated. His blinked open and instinctively noted the brightening sky over head. "Dammit!" He was on his feet in no time.

Spike helped Buffy to her feet and they all climbed in the car. Angel patted his pockets. "Uh, Angel? You gonna start her up or is this another suicide attempt?"

"Shut up, Spike. I'm working on it. Where the hell are the keys?" He searched all his pockets and under the seat. "Do you have them?"

"Why would I?" Spike checked his own pockets. "You did take them out of your jeans before you ditched them didn't you?"

"Of course I di- We may have a problem."

"Bollocks," Spike growled.

"Check the dash. There should be a cell phone." Spike did and there was. He handed it over. Angel dialed a number and Spike watched the sky nervously.

"Yeah, it's Angel. I need a car sent to this location immediately." A short pause and then, "No I don't care about the ambassador. This is an emergency. You heard me Harmony get a car here." Spike could hear Harmony talking frantically on the other end. "Use the GPS!" He hung up on her. "Ten minutes tops."

"We should find somewhere shady before we get roasted." Taking Spike's advice, the trio climbed out of the car and looked around. Their options were: a dumpster, risk someone living in one of the surrounding abandoned buildings and break a window, or underneath the car. Buffy was all for getting cozy under car while Angel thought the dumpster while unappealing would be safest. Spike thought smashing a few windows until the found one without the vampire keep-put security system intact. They moved at once. Buffy slithered under the car. Angel went to the dumpster. Spike kicked in the nearest basement window.

"Spike! What are you doing? If someone calls the police we're as good as dust."

"Pixie dust?" Buffy asked.

"Relax. You're people will be here any minute. We just need to sit tight."

"Right, in the dumpster. Come on."

"I'm not gettin' in that thing and comin' out covered in banana peels and a like."

"You couldn't possibly smell worse than you already do."

"It's quite cozy down below," Buffy called from under the car.

"No thanks. I'll take my chances with the cops." Spike went to the next window. The building was empty and Spike was able to shimmy his slender body right in the basement window even if he did tear his clothes on the broken glass."You comin'?" he called to the others.

Buffy climbed hurriedly from her hiding place. "I lied. It smells like motor oil." She followed Spike. Angel sighed and did the same having only slightly more trouble with his broad shoulders.

"Put on a bit of weight there, peaches?" Spike taunted.

"Shut up."

"Great come back. Never heard that one before. God I could use a smoke." He sat down on an old crate.

Buffy wrinkled her nose as though remembering the smell. "Death sticks."

"I don't think it matters much if you're already dead, pet."

Angel sat next to Spike on the crate which appeared to be the only thing in the dark and dusty space. The light from the rising sun came in through the broken window but the bright rays of light didn't make it very far before they were consumed by shadows. Buffy drew patterns on the dusty wall that were barely discernible by their vampire eyes.

By the time the car pulled into the alley, both Angel and Spike were miserably bored. Angel shouted out the window and a man in a suit with an amused look on his face peered into the broken window. He had the driver pull the car forward until it cast a shadow over the window and amused suit guy opened the back door. Spike was the first one out of the window. He pulled Buffy up after him and Angel followed.

On the ride back to Wolfram & Hart, Buffy chatted excitedly about a red river and a lioness who bathes in it. Spike and Angel ignored her except to offer a "that's great, Buffy" or "wonderful, pet" whenever she looked at either of them expectantly. Angel wondered how long they'd been gone. His car hadn't been stolen so it couldn't have been long and neither the driver nor the lawyer in the front asked any questions.

The left the car in the W&H garage. Angel was exhausted, mentally and physically. He wanted nothing more than to wrestle Spike for the first shower and collapse into his own bed. Harmony, of course, wasn't having it.

"Boss!" she shouted from her desk as the trio walked into the lobby. "Oh my gosh, where were you? I've been trying to call you and then I went upstairs and you still weren't back. I mean you never even told me you were leaving."

"Harmony-" Angel began.

"Don't you think it's a little important to tell your assistant when you're leaving? I mean you don't have to tell me _where_ you're going. That's your business, but I need to know how to get a hold of you if there's a crisis or something," she rambled.

Spike left Angel and Harmony to go at it and took Buffy up stairs. She hadn't lost her cheery mood since they returned and wondered what was going on with her, but Spike was very tired and uncomfortably dirty so he moved all the more faster at the thought of hot water. He dropped his duster on the back of the sofa. Buffy scampered off to find Miss Anne. He watched her for a moment wondering if he should wait for Angel so she wouldn't be alone. He shrugged thinking she couldn't go far with Angel standing in the lobby and she was probably busy telling Miss Anne about her grand adventure anyway.

Spike pulled the dirt, sweat, and blood caked clothes off and stepped into the hot stream. It stung where it ran over several cuts that were likely the result of shrapnel in the explosion back in China. He sighed and for the first time in a month he completely relaxed.

***

"Harmony!" Angel shouted. "Listen to me," he said threateningly.

"I am listening, boss. That's what I was just saying. I'm listening, but you're not saying anything."

His eyes narrowed. "Harmony. I am going upstairs now to get some rest. You are going to bother me. In a couple of hours I will be back in office expecting a full report and exactly two mugs of blood. Understand?"

"Yeah, boss. I totally understand."

Angel looked around and noticed Spike and Buffy were gone already. " _Great._ "

"It's just that you got a call about an hour ago from Italy."

Angel was half way to the elevator when he stopped and turned to face her. "Italy?"

Harmony smiled glad to have his attention. "Yep. It was that Andrew guy. It sounded pretty important, but I couldn't understand much of what he was saying with all the nerd speak."

"Get him on the phone. I'll be in my office." He left and Harmony scampered to call Andrew.

Several minutes later, the phone rang. "Andrew Wells on line one," Harmony said as though he hadn't been expecting it.

"Thanks, Harmony." He switched lines. "Andrew."

"Angel! Thank Yoda you finally called me back," the younger voice replied.

"What's wrong?"

"It's the slayers. Last night right after sunset, there was this bright flash of light and then everything went all Uncanny X-men!"

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ the slayers lost their mojo. All of them. All at once. The girls that were out on assignments got creamed. Faith is okay though. The reason I called of course is that Buffy is gone like Gallifrey. No one has any idea where she is!"

Angel couldn't decide what to tell him. Did he tell him she was a dead? A vampire? Insane? Play dumb?

"Uh. Earth to Angel. This is a bit of a crisis and we really need Buffy's help with all the baddies. We've got literally hundreds of girls just sitting here like tribbles on a log and they're all targets"

"I understand. I'll let you know if I hear anything." He hung up. That's when Spike came running into the room. His hair was wet and messy and he wore nothing but a pair of jeans.

"She's gone. I left her alone for ten minutes and she's gone," he said hurriedly.

"Dammit, Spike!" Angel jumped to his feet.

"Look. The sun's up. She couldn't have gotten far."

"This building has over 30 floors."

"Well we'd better get movin' then."

They left the office in search of Buffy. Spike received many stares and amuses looks from the lawyers they passed. Angel stopped at Harmony's desk.

"How'd it go with-" she began.

"Not now. Have you seen Buffy?" Angel interrupted.

"Buffy? No, not since you guys came in but I was really busy with all this-"

"Dammit. Let me know if you see anything or get any strange reports."

"Can do, boss," she called as they hurried away.

They stepped into elevator. "I'll take the second floor. You get the third. We'll meet up on the fourth."

"Maybe I wanted the second floor," Spike said

"Not the time, Spike. Make sure you ask around. See if anyone's seen her," Angel said as he entered the second floor.

The doors closed and elevator moved up. A pair of lawyers gave Spike a funny look as he pushed past them. He hurried down the hall and around the corner. Most of the doors hung open and he could see she wasn't inside. He stopped a man carrying a briefcase and asked "Have you seen a girl about yay high, white dress, could use a shower?" but the man looked at him like he'd grown a second head. Spike pushed him aside and moved on. He had no luck finding her and no one he asked seemed to have seen her. He went back to the elevator to meet Angel who he found waiting on the fourth floor.

"You took long. I already searched this one too," Angel informed him.

"No good."

"I didn't have any luck either. Come on let's hit the next floors." He started to get back into the elevator but Spike stopped him.

"Wait. What if we rode the lift up to each floor but we didn't get out. When the doors open we could just feel for her and if she's not there move on."

"If anyone asks, that was my idea," Angel said.

"Yeah right."

They got in the elevator and pushed every button the panel. The man they hadn't noticed behind them glared but didn't say anything. They tried their new process on the next three floors. On the 8th floor Spike could hear something strange.

_Spikey. Don't worry Spikey. The Lioness is only playing._

_Buffy?_

There was a giggle. _I only wanted to play._

_Never been a fan of hide-and-seek, pet. Come out now._

_Come and find me._

He could feel the connection break inside his head, but he had a better idea of where she was. "She's on the tenth floor. In one of the conference rooms."

"How do you know?"

"Just trust me."

Angel did against his better judgement. She was right where Spike said she'd be. They both could feel her. They through open the conference room doors. Neither of them had seen so much blood in one place since the time Angelus had found himself a nice convent. There were four dead lawyers on the floor and one in Buffy's arms.

She smiled at them. "Let's play lions."

"Oh, Buffy," Spike sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for nerd references! I love an excuse to nerdify my stories.


	12. Don't Mention It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy causes a bit of trouble. Angel makes an important phone call. Spike takes care of Buffy.

"Buffy. What did you do?" Angel asked a bit shocked.

"I got hungry," she said innocently.

Just then, the worst thing that either Spike or Angel could think of happened. Gunn came running into the room. "Whoa. What happened here?"

He was followed by Wesley. They both surveyed the damage. Wesley looked accusingly at Angel. "I knew some thing like this was bound to happen. I had hopped you'd be able to kept her under control, but this is..."

"Chaos," Gunn finished for him.

"precisely," Wesley nodded.

"We heard reports that the two of you were running all over the building like a bunch of wackos. Guess now we know why," Gunn said.

"Wesley. Gunn. My office," Angel commanded.

"We want answers, Angel," Wesley insisted.

"And you'll get them alright? In my office. I'll be there in a minute. I just need to clean up this mess first."

"This is Wolfram and Hart. We have people for that," Wesley said grimly.

Spike took Buffy back to Angel's suite. Wesley and Gunn reluctantly went back down stairs to wait for Angel who made the call for the mess to cleaned up and the bodies taken care of. He would have much prefered to have taken care of it himself but since both Gunn and Wes had already seen the mess and it wasn't like Buffy had bothered to kill the security cameras, so he decided he might as well take advantage of Wolfram and Hart's Sanitation and Disposal division. Which Angel came to find had nothing at all do with garbage and everything to do with the removal of "terminated" employees.

Angel left the guys from Sanatation and Disposal to take care of Buffy's mess. He found Gunn and Wesley waiting restlessly in his office. Neither of them had felt calm enough to sit down. Gunn stood with his arms crossed while Wesley paced.

Before either of them could speak Angel said, "I know how it looks. I'm working on how to deal with her. I guess now that the cat's out of the bag I may as well get some security to keep her locked down."

Both men looked a bit shocked. "Well..." began Wesley. "We're glad you're acting so rationally."

"Great. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well we were a bit worried you might be going dark side like you did when Darla turned up," Gunn explained.

"What? No! I'm just trying to take care of Buffy. It's my fault this happened to her and I owe it to her keep her safe." He sat on the end of his desk and the others followed suit. Gunn sat on the end of one chair and Wesley sat comfortably in the other.

"So why not reensoul her like Wes suggested before?" Gunn asked.

Angel sighed. "Her mind... she's nearly as bad as Drusilla."

Wesley nodded understanding. "And your afraid giving her a soul would only make it worse."

"Exactly. It was hard enough for me to handle my soul with my mind in tact. There were several times when I thought I'd completely lost it. It took me years to learn to deal with it and only then it was because I knew I needed to in order to help Buffy."

"Is there anything else we could try? Something just to keep her from killing," Gunn suggested.

Angel shook his head. "There's nothing that I know of," Wesley said. "I can look through a few books and see if I find anything useful."

"Thanks, Wes," Angel said.

"Yeah and if I can help at all just say the word. Especially of she runs off again," Gunn offered.

"Thanks. Really guys. I appreciate it." Gunn gave him a small nod and the pair left together.

***

Spike lead Buffy by the arm up to the suite. He wanted to ask her just what she was thinking doing something like that but he thought the answer was probably something like "I was hungry" and it just wasn't worth the frustration. So he stood in the living room and scowled at her while she skipped away to fetch Miss Anne.

He plopped down on the couch and tried to convince himself that Gunn and Wes weren't giving Angel a rousing "kill the evil thing" speech. Spike was ready to rip Angel's head from his shoulders if he even looked like he might be considering it. Spike would protect Buffy with his last breath if he needed to breathe. He liked Gunn, but he knew after seeing the mess she'd made upstairs that there was no way he wasn't all for getting rid of her before she could make real trouble. He couldn't imagine Angel would do much defending her. He didn't even like her. Not any more.

Buffy came back into the room, holding her doll. "Are you angry?" she asked.

"No, pet. I wish I was angry," he said. The truth was, Spike was scared. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to protect her if Angel should decide to toss her out of a window. "That was a bad thing you did. You should have told me you were hungry. You could have snacked on animal blood until later. Honestly, Buffy!" He felt himself finally getting angry for her poor behavior. "I shouldn't have to baby sit you every hour of the day!"

He climbed to his feet and paced. Buffy watched him walk back and forth before finally stopping in front or her. "If I had pulled a stunt like that Angelus would have beat me til I bled and then some."

Buffy looked at him wearily before she decided that he wasn't going to do that to her and she sat down. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

He looked at her surprised. "Bloody right to be." He sat down next to her and she cuddled into his side.

"Hungry," she whined looking toward the elevator.

"No you don't. You're stayin' right here 'til the sun sets. How can possibly hungry so soon any way?"

Buffy shrugged and held her stomach. "Many lambs before the lions and they keep poor kitty in a cage."

"That's the way it's gotta be, pet," Spike responded. His voice conveyed an air of regret as though he wished it didn't have to be.

Buffy slipped away from him and set Miss Anne on the end of Angel's bed. She noticed a figure resting on a table for decoration. The small statue was of a tall and muscular man clothed only in a loincloth. His face held an expression of triumph. The little man stood on a base of solid rounded marble. Without thinking she grasped the figure by its legs and went back to the other room where Spike stared thoughtfully out of the window.

When she reached him, she raised the statue quickly so he wouldn't have time to react and brought it down hard on the right side of his head. He fell unconscious onto his side.

"Jail break," Buffy said triumphantly. She dropped the figure and stepped into the elevator.

***

Angel sat at his desk thinking. He could set two guards at the floor entrance to his elevator and she wouldn't be able to get past. He'd have to get a pair of vampires to do it so they wouldn't get tired or need to leave their post to relieve themselves. He went up to security. They said they would have a schedule prepared and the guards would be posted first thing the next morning.

Back at his desk, Harmony had organized his paper work into stack according to importance. He looked down at the pages with annoyance. He picked up the first stack and sifted through it. He found information about upcoming meetings, contracts that needed to be renewed, and a list of calls he needed tp return. He sighed and got to it hoping Spike was doing fine with Buffy.

He set the stack of papers back in its place and decided he ought to call Andrew back. He picked up the phone and waited for Harmony to pick up on her end. She put him through with a cheery "no problem, boss". Her pep always seemed so out of place to him.

Andrew picked up on the second ring. "Angel! I was staring to worry you wouldn't call back. I was debating calling you, but you sounded busy and I didn't-"

Angel cut off his rambling. "Sorry I had to cut you off earlier. What happened? Don't leave anything out. And in English if at all possible."

Andrew took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. "It was 4 am," he began dramatically. "I was heading to bed after a hot date with a lovely signora-"

"Andrew."

"Right. There was a blinding flash of brilliant white light in the sky. It was over so quickly that I thought I might have imagined it, but my keen senses told me that it was not so. Precisely 60 seconds later I received a distressed call from a young slayer named Sierra. She said her squad of four had been sparring when they found both their strength and endurance failing them. I told them to get some rest and that must have over worked themselves and not to worry, but then Mellie called. Her voice was shaking as to me how the two slayers she had been patroling with were slaughtered by a single pair or newborn vampires as though they had never trained a day in their lives. I received similar calls from Adelle, Caroline, and Claire. Each more panicked than the last."

Angel's face was overcome with worry. "All of the slayers lost their power."

"Bingo. We've gotten reports of over 30 casualties. The majority of the girls that remain had been off duty that night of were training with Mr. Giles."

"Are there none left?"

"Well we had some contacts spread out over the globe. They were told to contact us should they see any signs of unidentified slayers in their area. We got a call from a Jeremy Sharpe. He says his daughter is showing signs of slayer power and that it didn't happen until after dinner time yesterday which by east coast time is about when I saw that weirdo light."

"So all of the slayers go back to being potential and a new "chosen one" gets picked."

"That's what it looks like, but... she's gonna need a watcher. I offered, but Mr. Giles says I don't have enough experience," He sounded bitter. "With me being the top of the new Watchers that means the only ones worthy of the job are Mr. Giles and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. Giles is pretty busy with the mess here and he says after Buffy he doesn't think he could ever treat a new slayer fairly. So that leaves it Mr. Wydam-Pryce to Yoda the noobie slayer."

They were both quiet for a moment. "I'll talk to Wesley. I'm sure if he'll take it well. He feels guilty about the mistakes he made with Faith. I'm not sure..."

"I understand. If he refuses, I suppose that leaves it to me. But while we're on the subject, where _is_ Buffy? No one has any idea where she is. Not Dawn. Not Willow. Not Giles. She's not one to be on her own so after moving down the list that leaves you or Spike. One has seen her and don't try to tell me otherwise."

Angel dragged in a breath. If he told Andrew the truth he would tell Giles and that would only add to the problems. He, Dawn, Willow, and the others would all get involved and it was difficult enough without a mob of concerned family members swarming all over him. He decided it was best to tell him as little as possible so he wouldn't have to out right lie.

"She's here with me. She's been staying here," he took a moment forgetting how much time has passed since Italy. "about a week now."

"I knew it. Well it's about time she came home. We really need her here."

"I'll let her know she's needed."

"And put her on your fastest jet while you're at it."

Angel winced. He felt guilty about lying to him. He clearly needed help, but Buffy couldn't possibly come to their rescue. They would have to make due on their own. The girls might not have super powers any more, but they had been trained and they could still do good just in larger numbers.

"Let me know if I can help at all. I don't trust Wolfram & Hart but if you need anything..."

Andrew thought he'd trust Bad Horse a.k.a. The Thoroughbred of Sin before he trusted Wolfram & Hart, but he appreciated the gesture. "Thanks, Angel."

"If anything else comes up you'll let me know?"

"Sure thing."

***

Spike groaned as he regained conciousness. He rubbed the side of his head. "Buffy?" he called, but he knew she was gone again. He climbed to his feet and went after her. The elevator was obnoxiously slow. He had to get Buffy back before she caused any more trouble or at the very least, before Angel found out she'd slipped past him yet again.

He made his way out Angel's office and into the lobby where he looked around. Buffy had already made it across the lobby so Spike hurried over to Harmony's desk.

"Oh, hey, Spike," she said cheerily. "What's going on with your hair?"

"Have you seen Buffy?"he asked hurriedly.

"Uh, no. Why would I? Did she sneak off again? I heard about the-"

"Yeah, thanks," he said as he rushed off.

She rolled her eyes. "You're welcome," she replied to the empty air annoyed.

As Spike hurried down the nearest hall, he thought he caught Buffy's scent underneath the scent of expensive fabrics, a multitude of perfumes, and various demons, but he couldn't be sure. Around the first coner and past the Mythological Studies Department, he caught the scent of cold human blood. Given Angel's strict policies against human blood drinking, maiming, and sacrifice Spike knew it had to be Buffy.

He followed the scent into an office marked "Under Executive of Mythology:Hamish Addams". He threw the door open and stormed inside where he found something rather unexpected Buffy sat on classy red fabric sofa opposite two matching chairs. On her lap rested a tea cup that looked particularly fragile due to the way she held with her hand wrapped tightly around it as though she were nervous not to drop it. In one of the chairs opposite her sat a short, dark-haired man with particularly snooty air about him. When Spike stormed in, the pair had looked at him as though he had been expected.

"Ah, you must be Spike," said the snooty british man whose name Spike assumed to be Hamish Addams.

Buffy smiled proudly. "Like a sniffer dog. I told you so."

"You did indeed."

Spike decided the he didn't like the man who reminded him all too much of an uncle he disliked during his childhood. "I just came for the girl."

"I'm sure," Hamish sneered. "But incase it is unclear to you, Ms. Buffy and myself are having conversation. I would appreciate it if you would sit down and wait a moment." He made as if to continue his interrupted conversation.

"Yeah?" Spike said furious at having been spoken down to. "Well I would appreciate it if you would piss off. You no good poncy arsed-"

"Such language," the man tisked. He looked at Buffy. "You ought to explain the concept of respect to that _boy_."

Spike growled and grabbed the man by the front of his nicely tailored suit jacket. "Listen you prat! I'm not going to be spoken to like a child by some posh wanker who finds it amusing-" Spike sniffed. In Hamish had set his half empty glass on the table the contents of which were none other than human blood. He dropped the man back in his seat.

"Come on, Buffy. We're going."

"But I-"

He glared at her not willing to put up with anything short of compliance at that moment. She set her glass down and left without another word. Spike followed her out with a pleased expression on his face. Buffy eyed him curiously, but said nothing as he led her back to the lobby. It wasn't the way he would normally do things, but Buffy was watching. Tearing that bastards head off with his bare hands certainly wouldn't have reenforced the "killing is bad" rule. So, that left him to take care of it the Wolfram & Hart way. Or at least the new Wolfram & Hart way.

"Harmony. I need a quick favor," he said back at her desk.

She looked at him suspiciously and then at Buffy. "What?"

"I need you to watch Buffy. Just for a few minutes 'til me and Angel get back."

"I have to watch the desk and take Angel's calls."

"Angel's got voice mail doesn't he? This will only take a minute." He stared her down with puppy dog eyes.

She sighed. "Fine, but if Angel isn't happy about it then it's on you."

Buffy eyed Harmony curiously and walked around the desk to next to her. She looked pet the mane on one of Harmony's unicorns. "Don't let her run off." He hurried to Angel's office.

Angel was just setting the phone down when Spike hurried into his office. "Why aren't you watching Buffy?" he asked annoyed.

"I got tired of playing babysitter. I'm havin' Harmony watch her for a minute." He held up a hand before Angel could protest. "I've got a bit of news. I was wanderin' around the hall with all those mythology blokes and it looks like you've got an under executive breakin' your 'no human blood' rule."

Angel looked at him curiously. "You were just wandering around and happened across this guy?"

"That's what I said i'nt it? Hamish something or other."

"I'll call someone to look into it," Angel said a bit suspiciously.

"You do that."

"Why do you care anyway?"

"Well he's a trouble maker. We can't have under executives setting a bad example."

"No... I guess not." Angel caught the pleased expression Spike was trying to hide. "What did he do to you?"

"What? Nothing."

Not so easily fooled Angel said,"Oh really?"

"Really," Spike replied with a nod.

Angel sighed. "Okay." He wasn't convinced, but he made the call to have Hamish Addams's blood tested. They went down to his office in case the sample tested positive as Spike was certain it would.

When the screen on the hand held blood test flashed positive Spike smirked at the nervous vampire that stood in front of him. Angel chose to ignore Spike in favor of carrying out his own policy. He took the ax offered to him by the man holding the blood test and proceeded to lop off the head of the snooty British vampire.

"anticlimactic," Spike said. "But satisfying none the less." He swaggered out of the room and back the way he came. Angel caught up to him and slapped a stack of papers into his arms. "What the hell is this?"

"The paper work," Angel said as he smirked and went back to his office. Spike glared but didn't argue.

He went back to the front desk where he found Buffy standing beside Harmony's chair braiding her hair. "Hey, Spike. I tried to get her to let me braid hers, but she had a big fuss."

Spike looked at Buffy who was wholly focused on her task. "She does that. Ready to go, pet?"

Buffy finished the last few twists and nodded. She skipped around the desk and went off to Angel's elevator with Spike behind her. Back safely in Angel's suite, Spike was determined to get Buffy clean and tucked into bed.

She pouted at the very suggestion, but finally decided that maybe she did need a bath after all. Yanking her dress over head she hurried off to the bathroom. Spike rolled his eyes as she abandoned her dress on the floor. He called Angel who had the guy that does Angel's laundry come to collect it to be washed. He said it was top priority that the dress be cleaned and returned by morning. It took some coaxing, but Spike managed to get Buffy into one of Angel's t-shirts to sleep.

"Where's my dress," she pouted nearly drowned in black fabric. She lay in Angel's bad with Spike sitting next to her.

"It's getting washed. You'll have it back in the morning," he assured her.

"Okay." She snuggled down into Spike's side. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "Thank you, Spike."

"What for?" he asked down at her.

"You didn't tell Angel. About the tea party."

"Oh. Well that was... don't mention it love." He was surprised at her understanding. With the way she runs off so carelessly it's hard to remember that she even understands the situation.

She fell asleep curled up under his arm. For a while he watched her breathing. She didn't need to of course, but he remembered it took him a while to break the unnecessary habit as well. It was a comforting site anyway. He was glad to find a visible reminder that his Buffy wasn't broken entirely. He fell asleep with a small smile on his face


	13. The Mind Of a Vampire

Angel crossed the lobby. "Good evening, Mr. Angel," called a passing lawyer. Angel nodded a reply and went into Wesley's office. Wesley set down the book he was reading to greet him.

"I've got bad news," Angel began before proceeding to tell Wesley about the slayer crisis.

When he finished Wesley leaned back in his chair. "So, we're back down to two slayers."

"Yeah."

"And the new slayer, Rebecca. She needs a watcher."

"Yeah." There was a pause. "I understand if you don't want-"

"I'll do it," Wesley said with certainty.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. While I'm sure the watchers Rupert has trained are sufficient, I understand that training a slayer is a difficult process and should be left to one with years of experience. I may have messed up with Faith-"

"Wesley that wasn't-"

"I believe that I would be the best choice given the circumstances."

"Andrew gave me her father's phone number. I'll make the call."

"Actually I'd rather do it myself if that's alright."

"No, that's fine. Here." He handed Wesley the scrap of paper where he'd down the number. "I'll go make sure there's a room set up for her when she gets here. Keep me posted." Angel turned to leave, but Wesley stopped him.

"Oh, uh Angel," he called. "I've getting a number of strange reports. Several people say that say a flash of blinding white light early this morning around dawn. You would have out around then and I was wondering if you saw anything."

"No, nothing," he lied.

"Well it sounds a bit like rather powerful magic. It would be worth looking into."

"Right. I'll do some investigating. See ya, Wes," he called hurrying out of the office feeling uncomfortable.

Wesley sighed an sat staring thoughtfully out of the window. He never wanted another slayer. Not after Faith, but he'd had enough time to move on and get over his mistakes. He knew the problem wasn't his fault alone, but he wished he'd been a little less "by the books" the way Rupert had been. He had another chance to get it right, but it was also another chance to mess it all up. With a sigh, he picked up the phone and dialed the number.

***

When Spike awoke, Buffy wasn't with him. He didn't panic as he could feel her close by. Sure enough when he sat up he could see her sitting on the sofa wearing the t-shirt he had discarded some time in the night when it had gotten to hot. He ran a hand through his long messy brown curls. _'bout time I cut it. It could probably use a strong bleaching as well._ he thought. He lifted his arms high above his head feeling the muscles pull as he stretched. He stood and stretched his legs before he joined Buffy in the living room.

"Morning, pet," he greeted her.

She sat staring straight ahead and unblinking. He followed her eyes, but there was nothing there. He waved a hand in front of her face and she didn't flinch. "Bu-ffy," he called sing-song like. "Something wrong, love?"

He watched her confused for another moment before he decided to leave her be and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later he emerged teeth brushed and hair fixed. Buffy hadn't moved. Spike was about to address her again when Angel came in.

"She's been sitting like that all day," Angel told Spike. "She wont tell me what's wrong, but I thought this might help." Help up her freshly cleaned dress.

Buffy blinked and looked or at Angel. She held out one small hand and he gave her the dress. She tugged Spike's T off of her and tossed it aside where Spike noticed Angel's t-shirt from the night before was also laying. She put the dress on sitting up a bit to fix it down over her hips.

"Better?" Angel asked her. She nodded but went back to staring. Angel sighed. "Andrew called."

"What did the little nerd want? I already told him I'm not signing any autographs," Spike replied half-joking.

"He called for me. Apparently there's trouble in Italy. In fact there's trouble across the globe."

"What kind of trouble?"

"The kind of trouble that directly coincides with our return to the twenty-first century."

Spike raised and eyebrow. "That so?" Angel nodded and they both glanced at Buffy. "What happened?"

Angel was about to speak when Buffy started. "White light. It cleansed them. Took the demon out. Just girls now. Little girl with a little curl... right in the middle of her forehead." She giggled.

"You had a vision?" Angel asked.

Buffy tried to concentrate and tell them what she saw, but the visions always made it that much harder to control her mind. "The one will come and sunshine will sleep."

"What one?" Spike tried to ask but Buffy couldn't hear him. She felt like she was drowning in the chaos that was her mind.

"Sunshine will sleep and the wolf will howl. Hearts will bleed when sunshine awakes," she rambled as her body trembled. "and the swan will sing when she's chosen to bleed," Buffy wailed. A loud high sound that made the others want to cover their ears.

"Buffy, shh," Angel soothed as he rushed to her side. "It's gonna be alright." He held her to him.

Spike was quick to reach her as well and stroked her hair murmuring,"It's alright, pet. Don't cry. I've got you."

After a few moments. Buffy felt better. She mind still a jumbled mess, but the internal storm had died down. When she was calm they tried to ask her what she had seen. She just shook her head. They weren't sure she had forgotten or if maybe she just didn't want to talk. She looked tired so they left her rest on the couch and went into the bedroom leaving the doors cracked behind them.

"What was all that?" Spike asked. "Her visions get bad sometimes, but that was..."

"It looked like she was being tortured," Angel added. Spike nodded in agreement. Angel filled him in on Andrew's phone call. Spike listened quietly which Angel thought was a bit odd, but thought Spike was probably just feeling a bit confused about the situation with Buffy as well.

"No more bitty slayers then," Spike shook his head sadly. "They're not gonna make it with the enemies they've made."

"Faith is helping, but they're desperate. They were hoping for Buffy's help. I don't know what I'm gonna tell them."

Spike sighed. "You think Buffy's spell caused this?"

Angel nodded. "When we were transported through time there was this blinding white light just like Andrew said. It happened at exactly the same time as when we got back. And when I talked to Wesley earlier he said that people all over the city saw it too."

"When's this new slayer comin' to town?"

"Wesley called last night. They're putting Rebecca on a plane first thing tomorrow morning."

"I don't want her anywhere near Buffy," Spike growled.

"Agreed," he looked toward Buffy. "Do you know where she put it?"

"Put what?"

"The amulet."

"Not a clue. She must have hidden it somewhere around here though. Why?"

"I need to know where she got it. Just to make sure there won't be anymore surprises."

"Good plan," Spike said with a nod. "We better get looking."

Angel spotted Miss Anne sitting on his table. He rolled his eyes. "No need."

Spike looked where he pointed and saw the obvious bulge under the dolls dress. He chuckled. "I don't think Miss Anne makes a very good guard dog." He lifted up the doll and sure enough the little green stone sat beneath Miss Anne's skirts. He handed it to Angel.

"Shiny." He pocketed the amulet. "I'll see what I can dig up. Make sure she's fed before Rebecca gets here." Angel left Spike alone with the stone still Buffy and got busy searching through the computer archive and several dusty old books.

Spike went back to Buffy and tried to get her attention. She sat perfectly still as Spike called her name and snapped his fingers in front pf her face. Just as Spike was again ready to give up she spoke.

"Angel took Miss Anne's treasure," she said looking disappointed.

"Yeah. He's gotta make sure you didn't do too much damage."

"Damage is done." She looked up at him. "Dinner?"

Spike smiled. "Let's go." He offered her his hand and they walked together arm in arm to the elevator. They took it down to the garage and strutted straight past the guards Angel had posted. The pair of guards followed the pair of vampire insisting that they obey Angel's orders to keep an eye on Buffy whether she was with Spike not. Spike eventually gave in to their demand, but said they should follow in a separate vehicle.

"I don't need to be babysat," Spike insisted. He threw open the door to Angel's viper and slid inside. Buffy followed suit and they drove off into bowels of the sleepless city.

The expensive black SUV shadowed the flashy sports car into the slums of the city. They parked outside an old brick building. The bright neon sign reading "CLUB NOVA" flickered. The A occasionally went out completely. One of guards went to the door to open it for them while the other held an umbrella at Buffy's door. The sun was still out but what sunlight wasn't blocked by the smog from the nearby factories was kept dulled by the thick grey storm clouds.

Spike climbed out the car and locked the door. He offered Buffy his arm and together they approached the building. The guard at the door pushed it open and artificial fog and house music poured into the quiet lot. The bouncer nodded as they passed recognising his own kind. The club was spacious with few places to sit down. Aside from the bar, there were only four tall tables at the back of the room and a low black leather love seat set into a far corner.

Their personal guards waited by the bar while Spike ordered up a drink. Buffy turned her nose up at the offensive substance. She watched the rhythmic motion of the small crowd of people on the dance floor. There was one more awkward body moving on beat but was less than graceful. He reminded Buffy of her friend Xander and she felt a hallow emptiness thinking of the friends she was missing. She nudged Spike and pointed to the dance floor.

He set his drink down and took Buffy's hand. He led the way down the two short stairs to the floor and the each slid into the group as though they were creatures made for dancing rather than killing. Buffy shimmied and swayed to the beat and Spike found himself lost in the familiar movements. Occasionally Buffy would glance at something over Spike's shoulder. Spike looked back but saw nothing to be concerned with so he ignored it. That is until Buffy turned them in a circle until she stood where Spike had. She moved slowly backward until she was wedged between another couple. The girl huffed looking irritated, but said nothing as Buffy effectively took over the boy's attention. After a moment the boy seemed entranced by Buffy. Whether it was her magnetic stare or the rhythm of her hips, she had him hypnotized.

Buffy whispered into the boy's ear. Spike followed as she led him away. She dragged him over to the love seat and pulled him down next to her as she sat. To the people on the dance floor, they would appear to be kissing, but Spike could see clearly through the shadows. He saw her pull him in close and push her fangs deep into his neck. He was dead in no time. Buffy licked her lips and left the lifeless body where it sat to rejoin Spike.

"Had enough?" He asked her. She nodded looking cheerful. "Let's go then." He led the way out. Spike was amazed by how much easier it was getting to watch her kill. He no longer felt remorseful. The victims' faces no longer clouded his mind. He couldn't kill himself. It would be wrong, but he didn't mind as much if Buffy did.

***

Rebecca Sharpe walked through the doors of Wolfram & Hart ready prepared for the worst. She had been warned that the law firm was notorious for its demon connections ans otherworldly deals. They had told her that the place was run by Angel. A vampire with a soul. Did they think she was born yesterday? A _good_ vampire. _Puh-lease._ She thought. But she'd play along. Get inside all personal and cozy. She's take 'em down from the inside and if that didn't work, well she wasn't the best dang bow hunter in the county for nothing.

A tall man with dark hair and pensive eyes greeted her. "Welcome to Wolfram & Hart. I'm Angel." She shook his hand as she thought of the irony in that statement.

"Rebecca," she replied.

A thinner man stepped forward and offered his hand. "Wesley Wyndam-Price," he spoke with a British accent. "I'm to be your Watcher." She thought he seemed strong and intelligent. Rebecca wondered what he was doing messing around with demons.

A man who was younger and more confident than the other strode forward. "Gunn," he said giving her a gentle but firm hand shake. "Charles Gunn."

Rebecca smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you."

Wyndam-Price cleared his throat. "Shall we show you to your room then? You should spend the rest of the day getting settled in," he said as he led her away.

She noticed behind her that Charles made to follow but was stopped by Angel's hand on his chest. "Actually I'd like to begin training right away. Evil waits for nothing, ya know?"

"Quite," Wesley agreed. He led the way into the elevator. He pressed the 20 and the little metal box rose smoothly to its destination. Wesley led her down the hall and opened a door with a key from his pocket.

Inside was a large sitting area with big windows and tasteful furniture. There was a small kitchen area (toaster oven, no stove) with a café style table and mini fridge. There were double doors that led to what was mostly likely the bedroom.

"This is one of few residential suites in the building," Wesley commented. He pointed toward the doors. "The bedroom is through there and so is the bathroom. If you need anything you can dial 1 on the phone," he pointed to an office phone that rested on a table next to the loveseat. "That will get you the Angel's secretary. She'll be happy to help."

"Great." She set her suit case by the arm chair that faced the windows. She was feeling a bit awkward being in a new place. She'd never lived on her own being only 17 so having her own suite was pretty exciting, but the whole room looked like something that her family would have to sell not only their car, but the house as well just to spend the night in. The bright lit and crowded city was extremely different to the small blue-collar town she grew up in. "Where do we start then?"

"I thought we could discuss the basics of slaying. How to detect, find, and kill vampires."

"What about other monsters?"

"We will start with vampires and work up from there."

"Don't you have to teach me how to fight?" She had done some rough housing with an older cousin when they were younger, but she had no real skills. Rebecca was anxious thinking that she truly no idea what to do as a slayer.

"First you have to have the knowledge. Then comes the hard part. Actually killing a demon." Wesley spent a good hour explaining how to kill, detect, and find vampires, the turning process of vampires, the differences in myth and truth, and how demonic possessions with not as common as TV portrays, can be incredibly difficult to deal with.

Finally as Rebecca was starting to feel mentally exhausted, Wesley suggest they get something to eat. They ordered food over the phone and went down stairs.

"We'll eat with Angel. He may be a vampire, but he _is_ one of the good guys and it's important that you trust him. You ought to spend some time getting to know one another."

Rebecca nodded feeling suddenly shy as they entered Angel's office. She appreciated his impressive array of weaponry and noted the personal elevator. She hadn't thought that he would be here as well as she slept. It made sense for him to take advantage of the in office suites, but wondered if she could trust him like Wesley said. She noticed that Angel sat in full exposure to the sunlight coming in through the window. She stood on her toes and whispered to Wesley. "What about the sun? You said that vampires couldn't survive in the light."

"Ah, yes. The windows in this building are made to keep out the rays that would burn a vampire to ash."

"Were they made specially for Angel?"

"No. Actually there are quite a few vampires working here." Rebecca noticed he seemed a bit nervous by that admission and she wanted to ask "why all the vamps" when a blonde woman in a nice suit and pink heels walked in carrying the bad that held their dinner and a mug reading "1# BOSS".

"Here ya go," she set the items down on Angel's desk. "Do you need anything else, Boss?"

"No that's it, Harmony. Thank you," Angel replied. The woman, Harmony, turned on her heel and sashayed out of the room. He stood and picked up his mug. "Shall we?" he asked he walked around the desk and gestured to the room behind them. There was a large table clearly used for big meetings.

They sat at the table with Angel at the head and Wesley on his left. Rebecca sat next to Wesley. Rebecca munched nervously on her sub mostly picking at the seasoned bread. She wasn't sure what to say, but the silence was awkward.

"So, uh," Angel started. "How do you like it here?"

She felt her throat catch and for a moment she couldn't find her voice. "I... it's really different. From home I mean."

"Where's home?" Wesley asked conversationally. "I didn't think to ask when I spoke with your father."

"Small town in Virgina. I've never even left the east coast." She felt her self start to relax.

"I remember seeing California for the first time. It was a big change," Angel commented.

"Where are you from?" She asked.

"Ireland. Originally. There are some big cities in Europe, but California is just so..."

"Foreign?"

Angel laughed. "You could say that." They talked as they ate. As they got to know each other, Rebecca decided that Angel was pretty interesting. Even though she knew he was a vampire, his having a soul made him seem very human sometimes. Wesley joined in the conversation a bit, but mostly he listened. As they finished their meal, the elevator in Angel's office dinged.

"Oh, no," Angel groaned. He stood up and went into the office. Rebecca could see the elevator doors open and out stepped a short blonde woman wearing a rather unusual but very pretty head peice and a dainty white dress. A man with ridiculously bleached hair followed.

Wesley and Rebecca moved to join them as the blond man was saying," I know. I'm sorry. She's impossible when she's hungry you know," in a less proper but still very british accent.

"Right." Angel gestured to her. "This is Rebecca. Rebecca this is Spike."

"Nice to meet you slayer," Spike said politely. He seemed rushed by his posture and movements. "I'd love to stay and chat, but we were just heading out. Come on, Buffy." He grabbed the woman by the arm and began to lead her away. She shrieked and her body shook. "Buffy?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and held her head in hands. She appeared to be having some sort of fit.

***

Buffy stood in room full of bodies. Some were alive and unconscious. Many were not alive at all. Blood covered the floor and was splatter on the walls. Something entered the room through the single metal door. It was six feet tall with grey skin and visible fangs. It seemed to have extra joints in its arms and legs. The way it moved made Buffy's skin crawl.

***

Buffy woke and found herself lying on the ground. Angel and Spike hovered over her. Wesley stood a few feet back. She couldn't see Rebecca from her view point but she knew the slayer was in the room.

"What is it? What did you see?" Angel asked. Spike wrapped an arm around her to support her as she sat up.

"I- it... it moved like a spider," she told them.

"What did?" Spike asked.

"The demon," Buffy smiled. "They swam in a pool of blood, the bodies."

Angel hoped her face was shielded by his body and that Rebecca hadn't moved to see Buffy better. "What kind of demon?" Buffy shook her head. "Do you know where it is?"

She thought a moment. "Brick walls... empty. No people for several blocks."

"Wesley?" Angel asked. "Any ideas?"

"There's a building that's been vacant for sometime by that description," Wesley replied wanting to impress his new slayer. "It was condemned and set to be torn down until it was deemed a historical landmark."

"Can you take us there?"

"Of course."

Angel packed several weapons and set out. Wesley directed Angel's driving and they reached the tall brick building in no time at all. Angel pulled around back in parked the car in the shadow of the building. There was an emergency escape door and several windows on this side of the building but nothing else. They group approached the door and found it was not only locked but rusted shut. Angel made short work of kicked the rusted hinges right off the door frame. Spike did the honor of kicking the door in. Angel looked irritated at him for stealing his thunder but Spike just shrugged and tried to appear uncaring while he laughed on the inside.

They followed the smell of decay down to the basement. Rebecca tried not to gag at the offensive smell. They came to a metal door similar to the one before. They could hear shirking on the other side. Spike and Angel shared a look and this time they kicked the door in together. It sailed across the dimly lit room and hit the opposite wall with a crash.

The strange grey beast crouched to the right of the room, but stood to its full hight at their loud entrance. It roared at them and dropped its latest victim from its hands to the red stained ground. Angel and Spike charged at it. It swung its long arms in a wide arc catching Angel in the chest and throwing him against the wall. Spike ducked in time but was caught off guard by the leg it kicked out and he fell onto his back. Rebecca decided it must be her turn. She had been clutching a small battle-ax that Angel had given her to her chest. Now she held it in her shaking right hand and put all her faith in her instincts. She ran at the creature and took a swing at it as it moved toward Angel. She managed to nick its left arm but in her moment of triumph it knocked her across the room. Wesley made a similar attempt and met the same fate. It all happened so quickly that the four heros were all still recovering when the creature laid eyes on Buffy. It seemed to smile with its hideous teeth on display.

Buffy backed herself into the wall suddenly forgetting anything shed even know about fighting. It grabbed her in its long-fingered hand and lifted her off her feet. She swung her arms and dug her nails into its face but it ignored her attempts. It lifted her to level with its head and bit into her shoulder with its long fangs. Buffy screamed.

Behind the creature Spike yelled for Buffy. He ran at the creature and jumped onto its back. He ment to break its neck but it swung around and crushed Spike against the wall. This put the creature next to Rebecca. She had just recovered and was getting to her feet. She saw the creature next to her and she raised her ax. Reacting quickly, she raised the ax and torn through the creatures calf slicing its leg in two.

It roared and fell onto its side. Rebecca found herself shocked by the gore that poured from the hole in its leg. Angel took the ax from her hand and chopped its head. It fell to the ground and rolled until it landed at Wesley's feet.

Angel went to see if the woman the creature had dropped was alright. She was breathing but unconscious He picked her up and made to carry her out when he noticed Buffy lying in a heap on the floor. Spike saw her too and raced to her side. She was out cold but not dust meant not dead so Spike tried not to worry. He picked her up and they left dropping the woman at the hospital on their way home.

***

It was dark when Buffy opened her eyes. Too dark. She couldn't make out shapes or shadows. It was like having human eyes again. Suddenly, she could see someone standing before her. The Immortal. He smiled at her. A terrifying predatory smile. She screamed and felt like she might puke or pass out. She ran.

As fast as she could. Right into a brick wall. Again and again she ran and each into another wall appeared. She noticed that walls weren't brick but stone that was caked with blood. She recognized the blood and she recognized the wall. She'd seen it before. Before her brave heros had rescued her. If they had rescued her at all. Maybe she was still there. Maybe they never came for her. She was trapped. Still stuck in the Immortals clutches. She felt certain of if. She fell to the ground and cried.

***

Twenty-four hours exactly after the demon had bit her (Spike was counting), Buffy laying in Angel's bed. She hadn't moved, opened her eyes, or made a single sound. Spike handed left her side. He sat in a chair next to the bed holding her hand. Silently he begged her wake up. Sometimes his eye would cloud up and tears would spill over. Sometimes Angel would come in and stare at her, run a hand through his before looking defeated and leaving. Finally as the sun set, Wesley found them both watching her.

"I have news. That demon was called a chupora. Their bite contains a toxin which causes paralysis. If you can retrieve a vial of its blood I should be able to develop the antidote. We'll need enough for Buffy and the woman at the hospital," He told them.

Angel was on the move instantly. Spike felt paralyzed himself. "Are you coming?" Angel called to Spike as he reached the elevator.

"I'm not leaving her," he called back. Angel understood.


	14. The Mind of a Slayer

 

It wasn't hard for Angel to find the right building. He went inside and down stairs. The chupora demon still lay dead on the floor. It's blood had soaked the floor and still seemed to be seeping from it's wound. Because it was incredibly think, a lot of it hadn't yet dried. He took syringe out of his coat pocket and hoped there was enough left in the beast. He inserted the needle and managed to fill the syringe about a quarter of the way. He hurried on back to the office to give blood to Wesley.

 

***

 

_"I'm sorry, Buffy. You're a monster," Angel told her. He stood in front of her holding a stake. "You have to be killed. It's the right thing to do." He lunged at her. She couldn't move and the stake went right through her chest._

 

_"It's for your own good, love," Spike said. She felt like she was on fire._

 

_"No, I'll be good," She whined. "Stop it! Angel!"_

 

_"That's the problem. You can't be good," Angel insisted._

 

_"Be bad then!" she suggested. "Be bad with me. Spike help, please!”_

 

_"I can't do that, Buffy. You're nothing. You're beneath me," Spike said. "You're not even a person. You're a thing."_

 

***

 

Angel held the gooey red liquid in his hand. "You're sure this will work?" he asked. He didn't wait for the answer though. He started pouring it slowly into Buffy's mouth.

 

"The effects should be immediate though it will take some time before she wakes up," Wesley said.

 

Buffy swallowed. A second layer she started squirming and moaning as though she were pain. "What is it? What's happening to her?" Spike shouted holding her still.

 

"Chupora venom causes vivid nightmares. She wasn’t able to move before," Wesley explained.

 

"That looks horrible," Rebecca said with pity.

 

Buffy stopped moving though they could seeing her eyes moving around under their lids.

 

"How long until she wakes up?" Angel asked.

 

"At least an hour I'd estimate."

 

Angel sighed. "We should eat," he told Spike. "It's been too long."

 

"For her too," Spike said.

 

"She'll eat when she wakes up. Come on." He lead Spike out of the room and Wesley followed. No one noticed when Rebecca stayed behind. She waited until they were gone.

 

She stood by the bed watching Buffy dream. She wondered what vampires have nightmares about. Maybe she should let her wake up and ask her. _No. There's no telling how old she is or how strong._ she thought. _I have to do this now before some stops me. Vampires are monsters. Mindless killers._ She pulled a stake she'd stolen from Wesley's office for her jacket. She held it tightly in both hands and raised it high above Buffy's chest. With as much force as she could manage, she brought it down and into the cold flesh.

 

***

Gunn ran into Angel's office as they departed the elevator. "Uh, we got a small issue in the lobby. You might wanna check this out," he informed them.

 

They ran after them and were shocked by what they saw. Three hooded vampires had set up a pyre complete with virgin sacrifice in the middle of the lobby. They were ready to set the place ablaze when Angel ran up and knocked two of them on their backs. Gunn gave a hand staking the third while Angel wrestled with the first. Spike got in on the action break the second's neck until Gunn passed his stake along for Spike to cram it into the other vamps chest. Angel grabbed the first vamp by the front of his robe and lifted him to his feet.

 

"So uh..." the vampire said. "I'm guessin' you guys don't allow ritual sacrifice in your lobby anymore..."

 

"Where'd you get that idea?" Angel replied sarcasticly. He looked pointedly at Spike who passed on the stake and poof, the monsters were slayen and the girl was safe. Angel was ready for his victory meal when they heard a scream come from upstairs.

 

"Is breakfast really so much to ask for?" Angel complained before following Spike back to the elevator. His stomach growled the whole ride up.

 

***

Searing pain shot through her body and she screamed. Her eyes flew open. Buffy looked down at the source of the pain and saw the wooden stake protruding two inches from her heart. She growled in pain and anger. Rebecca backed away with wide eyes realizing her mistake. She'd missed the heart completely.

Buffy stood and pulled the weapon from her chest. "I missed the heart my first time too. At least I wasn't a fumbling coward," Buffy taunted.

 

Rebecca glared at her but the taunts weren't enough to pulled the fear from her heart. She backed herself into the wall. Buffy stalked forward. She struck Rebecca in the side of the face leaving a scratch with the point of the stake she held. Buffy swung a second time but Rebecca saw it coming and ducked. She dove at Buffy and caught her around the knees. They fell to the floor tangled to together. They were rolling around trying to gain leverage when the elevator dinged. Angel and Spike came running out. Angel pulled Rebecca away from Buffy. Spike held Buffy back as she tried to jab the stake into Rebecca's throat.

 

"What the hell is going on?" Angel asked. Both girls started talking at once.

 

"The dragon woke the princess-" Buffy started.

 

"She's a vampire Angel-" Rebecca began.

 

"She's nasty and wicked-"

 

"She's evil and souless-"

 

"and she almost killed me."

 

"and she kills people."

 

"She can't be aloud to kill," they said together. They glared at each other.

 

Angel looked from the blood on Buffy's dress to the stake in her hand. He sighed. "Rebecca. I know I haven't said this in so many words, but... you can't kill Buffy."

 

She spun around to face him. "But she's-"

 

"Yeah," Angel interrupted. "But she's mine." He ignored Spike's growl. "And I'll protect her no matter the cost. Do you understand?"

 

Rebecca glared. "I think so." She stormed out of the room and was gone.

 

"Yours?" Spike shouted.

 

"Not now, Spike." Angel examined the gash in Buffy chest and decided that the stake hadn't splintered and she'd heal just fine. "We need to get you something to eat."

 

Buffy stared straight ahead looking as though entranced. "Beneath you..." she muttered. "Not a person. A thing... Please don't." She shook looking terrified. She pulled away from Spike and ran to the opposite wall from where the others stood.

 

"What's wrong?" Angel asked.

 

"What is it?" Spike said.

 

"Can't be good... can't be bad..." she whispered.

 

Spike went to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. She whimpered. "It's alright pet."

 

"Please don't... don't kill me."

 

"Buffy we wouldn't," Angel said gently trying to console her. "You're safe, I promise."

 

"It's not safe. It's never safe,” she insisted.

 

“Don't let her get to you, pet. Rebecca's a slayer. You remember what's that like don't you? Killing vampires. No one's gonna harm you not even her,” Spike told her.

 

It's true they were both very good to her, but she didn't understand why sometimes. She heard Angel say a lot of things about vampires and demons being evil and needing to kill them, but if she's a vampire doesn't that mean her too? How can she trust them when the they kill people like her? Buffy knew that a vampire could never trust a slayer. She knew that she couldn't trust anyone who kills vampires. Not Angel and not Spike. Maybe if she tried to be good, they would forget that she wasn't and they wouldn't kill her.

 

“I'll be good,” She said. “I'll be good.”

 

Angel and Spike shared confused looks. “Watch her,” Angel told Spike. “I need to go talk to Rebecca.”

 

***

When Angel turned down the hall to Rebecca's room, he found Wesley waiting for him outside. “What happened?” he asked.

 

“What did she tell you?”

 

“She said you stopped her from doing her job. From doing the right thing.”

 

“And you believe that?”

 

Wesley sighed. “I believe that vampire you have hiding in your bedroom is no longer Buffy Summers,” He could see Angel's temper rising. “but I understand why you keep her here.” Angel tried to push passed him but Wesley grabbed his arm. “Don't forget about Lilah. I loved her, but I wasn't risk innocent lives because of it.”

 

“Lilah was already dead. You just made sure she stayed that way.”

 

“So it's somehow different because she was already a vampire when you found her? Or is it just because she's Buffy and that places her above the rest of us?”

 

Angel grabbed Wes by the collar and slammed him against the wall. “I'll take care of Buffy. She's none of your concern. You just keep your slayer away from her, alright?” He let Wesley go with a look full of warning. After that, he didn't really feel like confronting Rebecca, but he needed to explain the situation to her. She didn't have to understand. She had to listen.

 

The door was unlocked and he let himself in leaving Wesley in the hall fixing his shirt. Rebecca stood across the room staring out the window. As Angel walked in, she pretended to be deeply interested in the pigeons sitting on an awning across the street. Angel shut the door and stood silently behind her.

 

“Rebecca,” he said making sure he had her attention. “Being the slayer... it means protecting people. Killing vampires, demons, monster. That's what you're here for. That's what _I'm_ here for... but Buffy she's... She's the reason I do what I do. Before her, many years ago, I was nothing. I slept in the sewers and I ate the rodents that crawled through the filth. Buffy gave me purpose, meaning. She was the slayer once. I wanted to fight along side her, to protect her from harm, but I... I failed her. I tried so hard and I thought... we both thought she didn't need me any more.”

 

Rebecca turned to face him. She watched his sad, brooding face as he continued. “She was taken and tortured and forced to become the very thing she was chose to destroy.” They both were silent for a time though an understanding seemed to passed through them. “I won't fail her again.”

 

With that, he turned and left. Rebecca sat and thought about what he had said. The irony of a slayer turned vampire seemed too cruel to bare. She wondered if all slayer were simply destined for a horrible fate. She decided that if it meant saving lives, she didn't care what the price was. She would pay it.

 

***

Spike had watched Buffy for three straight hours before he finally gave in to sleep. Buffy pulled his boots off and tucked him feeling like a mother and decided to top the gesture off with a sweet kiss to his forehead. She knew he hadn't slept the whole time she had. After Angel left, Spike had dragged her downstairs to get them both blood. He didn't let go of her arm the whole time. He seemed terrified to let her get out of his reach. They ate their meal together in Angel's bedroom that was really Buffy's now. Angel usually slept on the sofa and Spike only slept in the bed if Buffy fell asleep in his arms first.

 

She watched him sleep for a moment before turning to look out the window. She watched several pigeons fly off from somewhere below. The busy street was full of cars rushing past each other and the sidewalks weren't any better. As Buffy watched all the life around her move and progress as it does day by day, she felt terrible, annoying, and completely unpredictable pain exploded through her brain. She collapsed to her knees holding her head in her hands.

 

_Angel stood in an empty upstairs office. He had blood all over his clothes and hands. Rebecca stood behind him trying to wipe the blood from her own hands. “It never comes off. Not like that,” Angel told her._

 

_She looked up and Buffy could see the cuts on her face. There were small bits of glass in her hair and tears in her clothes were likely more pieces of glass were hiding. “I almost died.”_

 

“ _It happens.”_

 

“ _You saved me.” Her eyes held a look that Buffy remembered. She'd felt that same look on her own face when looking at that same vampire. Always during moments when he seemed the most human of anyone she'd ever met. These days it made Buffy's stomach her, but back then, it was love._

 

Buffy gasped as she came back to the world around her. Spike was still asleep. He hadn't even noticed her pain due to his own exhaustion. She took a moment to process what she'd seen. She thought and thought and finally she decided. “Not my Angel,” she growled as she glared at the darkening sky. “Hearts will bleed.”


	15. What She Needs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffy needs something Spike can't give. He plans to resolve that.

 

The sun was low and the room was dark as Spike slowly opened his eyes. Buffy lay curled up next to him. His right arm was pinned underneath her and he took great care not to disturb her as he pulled it gently away. He shoved his boots on and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. According to the clock, he hadn't slept for very long, but he already felt hungry again. With an irritated groan, he rose from the bed and headed for the elevator mentally cursing Angel for not keeping a stocked fridge upstairs like a sane person would.

 

Angel was sitting at his desk when the doors opened on the ground floor. He glanced over at Spike who noticed that he had sent the elevator guards away. Probably so he could have some private brood time. Spike ignored him and went to get himself a warm mug of otter and pigs blood all premixed and ready for Angel though it most certainly would not be going down Angel's throat if Spike had anything to say about it. After chugging the whole glass, he stared into the bottom. Some part of his brain decided it was a good idea to conjure up the memory of warm, fresh, human blood all perfect and warm and thick sliding over his tongue and down his throat. He shook the memory off cringing. _No. That's not me anymore. Otter is good enough. Don't need anything more than good ol' otter._

 

He left the mug on the counter and headed back for the elevator intending to go back upstairs to fall asleep with Buffy in his arms the way he always knew he was meant to. Angel looked up as he came in. “I talked to Rebecca,” he said and that enough to get Spike's attention.

 

“I assume the little bint didn't apologize,” Spike said not really meaning it but feeling bitter none the less.

 

“I explain the situation and she understood on some level. I think she'll try anything again, but to be safe she's not aloud upstairs for anything.”

 

“You can say that again.”

 

“She _is_ the slayer, Spike. She's dangerous. You need to do your part to keep Buffy away from her.”

 

“ _My part?_ Buffy's suddenly my responsibility alone? I do what I can to take care of her, but I thought you intended to take charge or have you finally realized a great poof like yourself couldn't possibly handle the job.”

 

Angel sighed. “After the big freak out she had earlier, I don't think she trusts me... or you for that matter, but you do have more experience dealing with crazy vampires. I never took care of Drusilla like you did. I never felt anything for her or for anyone then. I might love Buffy, but I have no idea what she needs.”

 

Angel put on his brooding face and Spike looked away in an attempt to avoid joining him in soul filled thoughtfulness. “So... I'll look after Buffy while you keep Rebecca from cutting her head off while we're not looking.”

 

“Agreed,” Angel looked sadly at him. “Just take care of her, Spike. Give her what she needs.”

 

Those words were so familiar to him. He wasn't aware why or what they had triggered in his head until he was already down the in the Files & Records room. He found himself holding a file marked Lloyd. Inside was an explicit description of the very trials Spike had undergone. The Demon Trials as they were called. Spike knew that somewhere in the ninety-eight pages he held in his hands was a way to reverse what he had done. To make himself what Buffy needed once more.

 

***

Back in the heat of the desert once more, Spike stood before the ancient cave. Many signs and warnings surrounded the area in an attempt to keep out mortals. The vampire was unafraid and ignored the warnings. He squared his shoulders and entered the cave with a sense of purpose. The air was cooler and more stagnant than air outside. Had he needed to breathe, he may have found it difficult. The sand under his boots turned to dirt and rock as he moved deeper into the cave. He walked the through the dark being able to see well enough to continue. He ignored the disturbing images that covered the walls around him.

 

Finally, he found himself in the familiar space that he had endured what had felt like months of torture. The memory came back to him with such strength and clarity that he could almost feel the flames that had scorched his flesh and hear the beetles that had crawled under and over his skin. He shook it off and stood bravely before the demon that hid in the shadows.

 

“You return, vampire,” the voice said.

 

“Miss me?” Spike smirked.

 

“I cannot undo what has been done.”

 

“Is that right?”

 

“I bend the ancient rules for no vampire.”

 

“We already know that I'm stronger than your bloody trials. Give me what I want.”

 

“You have already received your wish.”

 

“My wish was to give Buffy what she deserved.”

 

“You have already received you wish,” the demon repeated.

 

“Alright then _Lloyd_ , yeah I know your name and I gotta say it's not really the sort of thing that strikes fear into the hearts of men, if you won't give me what I want,” Spike reached into his coat. “I came with a plan B.”

 

As Spike lifted his sword (stolen from Angel's collection) to the demon's throat, Lloyd said, “You may have passed my test vampire, but do you really think you can kill me?”

 

“No idea, but I'm bloody well gonna try.”

 

A pair of guards ran from a side passage in the cave into the room at Lloyd’s unspoken command. Spike threw his coat to the side. As they came at him, he stabbed at one and swung at the other. They were stronger than him, but Spike was faster and he had beaten them before (or at least one of them). He knew how they moved. Their fire burnt the skin of his chest and arms, but he kept going. He got in more than a few lucky strikes before he managed to slash the throat of the first. The second was quick to follow.

 

“That all you got?” Spike asked even as his burns seared with pain and blood ran down a cut on his leg. The demon rose to the challenge and a drew forth his own sword. The blade was at least twice as wide as Spike's and covered in an ancient language that Wesley would have found fascinating.

 

Spike felt a rush of nostalgia as the dance begun. He smiled as he thought of how he used to fight with Buffy until the battered and sore. With a growl he charged into the fight with a blood lust he hadn't felt in years. He'd have that again, he was certain. He'd have Buffy. Crazy vampire and all. It was worth the fight.

 

In a flurry of movement, Spike brought the older demon to his knees. “Enough!” he shouted as Spike pressed his blade to his throat. “I shall do it.” His green eyes glowed bright as he reached toward Spike. The vampire dropped his sword as a bright light leaped from his chest with the force of an atomic explosion. He screamed and wavered in his stance, but did not fall.

 

“It is done.” The demon stood. “Do not return to this place, vampire. You are not welcome.”

 

Spike smiled. “Got what I came for.” He picked up his coat and sauntered off through the cave finally feeling free after being tormented by his guilt for so many years. William the Bloody was back.


	16. Slaypire

It had been three days and two nights since anyone had seen Spike. Buffy was worried. Angel avoided talking about him and tried to hide that he was getting a bit worried as well. The first night, Angel had taken Buffy out to eat himself just a few hours before sunrise. He'd expected Spike to come back in a huff about it, but he never showed. One the cars was missing from the garage (Angel's Viper), but there was no record of money being spent. This of course made Angel a bit suspicious. Spike was never shy about stealing his credit cards. He'd used cash wherever he'd gone and even Wolfram & Hart couldn't seem to track him down.

On that third day, Angel had considered having one of the resident psychics locate him. He was only looking out for Buffy after all. He decided to wait before he resorted to magical means not trusting anyone on Wolfram & Hart's original staff. So, Angel sat in his office as the pencil pushers in the offices down the hall kept track of Angel's credit card history and all of the traffic light images on the west coast for anything that might signal Spike's whereabouts. They never found him, because of course, he was no longer in the country and it wasn't like the nearby desert villages accept Visa. They'd checked with all the local gangs and clans (they had the personal number to all the leaders being what had once been a very corrupt law firm) to make sure Spike hadn't been taken for some debt he hadn't paid (again) and found no useful information. Angel gave up.

So as day number three became night number three, Buffy decided to take matters into her own hands. She'd insisted on spending the day in Angel's office while he worked so she knew that he had a meeting in the upstairs conference room this evening. Angel had warned her that he would be posting the guards in his office and not to try anything, but she wasn't afraid. Angel's threats meant nothing when Spike could be in danger.

When the time came that Buffy was alone and Angel was in his meeting, Buffy entered the elevator. The doors opened to Angel's office revealing the guards he'd left to watch her. Both were vampires, male, and of average height. Neither had any particularly notable features and Buffy didn't bother to look long.

"Hey!" said the first guard. "Mr. Angel says you have to stay upstairs."

"Don't know what he's keepin' you up there for, but those are the rules," said the second guard.

Buffy hadn't gotten much fighting in since being turned, so no one had yet seen the effects of being a slayer turned vampire. Naturally this led to some surprise when Buffy round-housed the first guard right across the room and through the window. It shattered and the vampire fell to the ground below. She looked proudly at the broken glass all over the floor. The second guard looked from her to the broken window before bolting for the door. She knew she didn't have much time to get out before they locked the building down. In fact she wouldn't have made it out the front door. Several people had heard the glass break and security was already running for Angel's office.

Buffy did what any sensible vampire would do. She jumped out the window. She landed gracefully on the sidewalk and started running. She wasn't sure where to look, but she had to move before she was caught. She got as far from the building as she could taking random turns every block until she could no longer make out the top of the building from where she stood. After an hour or so of running, Buffy realized she was pretty hungry after all of that exertion.

She took a quick survey of the area and found herself on a street full of tourist shops and shops with fake designer hand bags. This street was particularly busy and so a good place to hide, but not to kill. Buffy kept walking and turned right down the first alley she came to wanting to find somewhere with better hunting fairly quickly. The alley was nearly empty, containing no more than a single man who was passed out drunk. Whether homeless or otherwise, she barely noticed him. She came out on the other side and followed the road a few blocks before turning again. She'd manged to find herself in one of the shadier parts of the city. It was familiar from her outings with Spike (and occasionally Angel).

She walked with purpose not knowing where she was going, but knew simply that it was the way to go. Her certainty did not go unrewarded. As she rounded the next corner (not wanting to walk in any one direction for too long), she caught sight of a familiar old building. The sigh read "CLUB NOV", though at one point had a single letter more. It was ugly and old on the outside, but the inside was a vampire playground where no one looked twice at a bumpy face or a bloody t-shirt.

The bouncer nodded as she walked past and into the crowded club. It was packed with people, vampires, and a few inconspicuous demons of unapparent species. She waded through the half drunken group by the bar and made her way to the back. Buffy looked out over the sea of writhing bodies on the dance floor. It was early in the evening so not many of the vampires in the place had yet fed unwilling to dispose of their temporary companions so soon. Most them were paired up with their chosen victim working up a sweat to the beat of the music.

Buffy could hear someone moving in the shadowy area behind her. She turned to look and found herself watching as a vampire tore into the throat of the woman who sat on his lap. His hair was brown and curly. He looked at her with yellow eyes and she knew his face, even masked with the blonde hair of the girl in front of him. Spike had left Los Angeles, but William the Bloody had returned.

***

Angel stood in the middle of his office with a hand pressed to his forehead. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. What ever had possessed Buffy to jump out a window was beyond Angel's reckoning. At the very least she was definitely okay. He'd survived greater falls without a scratch. Security teams had been sent to find her, but so far there was nothing. The guard who had alerted security was brought to Angel's office followed by a concerned Gunn. Wesley and Rebecca joined them not a second later.

'What happened?" Angel asked the startled guard.

"Well... the girl came down the elevator. We told her she wasn't allowed and to go back, but she ignored us. She kicked Jim right through the window!"

"She kicked him?" Wesley asked.

The guard nodded. "Right through the window. She was so strong I- I thought it would be best to get back up. I would have ended up right out the window with Jim if I'd tried to take her myself!" He said defensively.

"It's alright. You're not in any trouble," Gunn assured him. "You did the right thing calling security. You can go now." He nodded and left the room fairly quickly.

Wesley had his thinking face on and Angel was quick to pick up on it. "What is it?"

"It's just... I believe it's possible that Buffy has retained something of her slayer powers even through the transformation."

"How is that possible? You get turned and everything you are dies," Angel argued.

"Because the slayer was created using demons, it's possible that the very essence of the slayer simply cannot die. That once you are chosen, you remain forever more a slayer. Even when the next is chosen."

"Wait. Woah," Rebecca broke in."Has this happened before?"

"It's only theory," Wesley confirmed. "I don't know that any other slayer has ever been turned into a vampire. I've read through the watcher's diaries many times though the deaths of the slayers aren't well described. I believe that would be something worth writing down."

"We'll find out what's going on when we find Buffy," Angel said.

"How are you gonna find her? She could be anywhere," Rebecca asked.

"I can smell her."

" _Smell_ her. What, like a dog?"

"Something like that."

"Do you think she know where Spike is?" Wesley asked.

"That would certainly give her a reason to take off," Angel responded.

"I don't see why else she'd throw a guy through a window. That'd be a bit extreme if she'd just gone for a walk," Gunn said.

"I doubt she cares much about extremes, but I think you're right," Angel said. "She's looking for Spike."

"I'm sure she's found him by now. They seem to have a very deep bond," Wesley said.

Angel sighed. "I'm afraid of that."

"Why? She finds Spike, he'll look after her, they'll come home. Everyone's safe and sound," Gunn said.

Angel shook his head. "Something's wrong. Spike wouldn't just take off. No one had any clue where he was until tonight. I tried every resource we have and there was no trace of him. Wherever Spike went... he didn't see fit to trust us about it."

The group dispersed with grim and confusing thoughts circling inside their heads. It didn't seem hopeful that any of them could figure Spike out without actually talking to him. They hopped he'd be back soon to put all their worries to rest.

***

Buffy didn't let Spike see her. Her instincts fought against it, but she hid. She pushed herself into the crowd and watched as he left the drained human body laying where he dropped it and passed through a door in the back. Buffy waited a few seconds before she followed. The door opened into dim hallway with several rooms. The area smelt so thickly of rot that even Buffy found it unpleasant. Spike walked out a door marked "EMERGENCY EXIT" though the alarm wasn't armed and his departure was silent. Buffy hurried after him hopping he didn't stop to light a cigarette before he continued.

As she had hopped, he didn't stop walking after the building. In fact, he moved on to a motorcycle parked in the back alley. Buffy glared in frustration as he started it up and took off. Buffy climbed to the top of the building and ran after him. She didn't think she'd be able to keep up, but she wanted to try and at least get closet to wherever he might be hiding. Maybe if she got close enough she could narrow it down. After several blocks, Buffy noticed that she wasn't falling behind. Spike had neither stopped nor turned, yet she was only a few feet behind him. No further than she'd been when she started. They went only a mile or so with Buffy a small distance behind before Spike pulled into the parking lot of an inconspicuous looking motel. He parked his bike and went into the room on the end. Buffy climbed to the ground and crossed the street.

The door was unlocked and she walked right in. Spike stood in the center of the room, clearly expecting her. She closed the door behind her and looked him over. It seemed odd to her that he didn't look any different. Losing ones soul should make a person darker or menacing in her opinion. Spike just looked like Spike. Well, Spike with brown curly hair because he hadn't bothered to cut or dye it.

"I suppose you thought you were being stealthy," Spike commented looking amused. "Not sure how you kept up with me, but I can't say I'm disappointed. I missed you, love."

"You got rid of it," Buffy said.

"I did," He pulled his coat off and sat on the end of the bed. "I'm going to be staying here for a while. I suppose Angel's set a search party after you," he questioned.

Buffy shrugged. "They won't find me."

"Perhaps not. You should leave though. Go back to Angel."

Buffy looked hurt. "Just for now, pet. Until I find somewhere for us. Somewhere you don't have to be kept all locked up," Spike reassured her. "You know where I'll be if you need anything."

***

Buffy returned to Wolfram & Hart on her own. Angel was angry and confused. He questioned her, but he couldn't get her to say anything. She just sat and stared out the window. Maybe she was thinking, maybe she was just ignoring him. Either way, she wouldn't respond. Angel gave up and left her alone. He stopped posting guards at the elevator and instead had security watch the camera in Angel's office 24/7.

Buffy retrieved Miss Anne from the table where she sat. She held the doll in her arms and hummed a little song with a smile on her face. A split second of pain torn the smile from her face.

 _Angel stood in his office. The sight of him was blurry and unfocused as though the very image was uncertain of itself. Angel turned to face Buffy. He smiled... no smirked. Blood stained his lips, his hands, his shirt. Something about him wasn't right... it wasn't_ soulful _. He seemed to radiate an aura of hostility. She wasn't looking at Angel. She was looking at Angelus._

When Buffy came back herself, her smile returned and was brighter than ever. She hummed her little song and held her doll on her lap. She thought of the possibilities of the days to come.


	17. What the Future Holds

 

Buffy found her way back to Spike's motel. She'd been too fast for security to lock the building down, but only by a matter of seconds. She had smiled delighted at her new found speed. Spike was in the shower when Buffy came in. She sat on the bed and waiting, humming to herself. Several minutes later, Spike came out in nothing but his jeans drying his hair with a towel. Buffy was disappointed to see it was back to bleached blond and cut short.

 

“It's back,” she pouted.

 

“Huh?” Spike asked looking up from where he knelt, tying his boots. He followed her gaze back to his hair. “Oh, yeah. Fixed it.”

 

“Fixed?” Buffy made a face.

 

“Yeah. I like it this way. We all like our a certain way. I've got mine and,” he touched her hair piece. “you've got yours.”

 

“We don't have to.”

 

“Don't have to what?”

 

“We don't have to have ways.”

 

“But we do don't we?”

 

Buffy shook her head. He took his hand from where he'd dropped it back down to his side and raised it back up to her hair. “We don't have to.”

 

“You'd let me take it out?”

 

Buffy nodded. “I trust you.”

 

Spike smiled. He very gently pulled the little pearl decoration from her hair. He set it on the bed beside her. He ran his fingers through her hair to lay it flat. “Right then, Goldilocks. Let's eat.”

 

They headed out to the local vampire hotspot, Club Nova. The small building was packed wall to wall with people and demons dancing and drinking. Tonight, the music was too loud for anyone to talk over, so no one bothered to try. It was impossible to tell one group from the next. The entire room was one big energetic frenzy. Spike and Buffy took a spot at the edge of the crowd. Slowly, they worked their way deeper into the mob.

 

At the center of the group, concealed by the other dancing bodies, was where the real party was happening. The vampires at the center were to drain the nearest human bodies without being noticed. They looked like any other entangled couple in the bunch.

 

Spike looked over a man dancing “alone” next to them. Buffy his gazed and nodded. They moved over to the man and joined him as he danced. He seemed pleased by their attention even as Spike moved in close and wrapped a strong arm around his waist. The man could scarcely move, but was unconcerned due to the intense setting. Buffy moved in and together she and Spike shared their first victim.

 

***

 

They made it back to Spike's room with fresh blood hot in their veins. Spike lounged on the bed watching a reality show while Buffy continued to dance in the middle of the room. Spike smiled to see her happy and wondered exactly why she continued to dance with only the sounds of people arguing on TV to listen to. They continued that way through several episodes of Spike's program. Finally, Spike decided Buffy had done enough dancing and needed to get back to Angel before he worried.

 

“Why can't I stay?”

 

“If you stay here Angel will hunt all over the city and when he finds us, he'll put a stake in my chest. You don't want that do you?”

 

Buffy shook her head. “Dragons guard the tower,” she pouted.

 

“Well you just run along and play fairytale princess. You can come back in a few nights.”

 

She whined and covered her face. Spike thought she was beginning another one of her dramatic episodes, but noticed she wasn't moving.

 

_It was a familiar scene. Broken glass littered the floor. Angel's office was trashed. Angel stood in the center of the room covered in blood. This time something was different there was a body on the floor. Angel was the one who put it there. There wasn't an ounce of guilt in his eyes._

 

She returned to the present to find herself in Spike's arms. They were on the floor leaning against the end of the bed. “Alright, pet?”

 

“Fine.”

 

“What was it?”

 

“The beginning.”

 

“What of?”

 

“Family.”

 

***

 

Angel was helping Wesley teach Rebecca a few basic fighting techniques when he got the call from security. Buffy was gone _again._ He sighed. He told the security team to find her and track but otherwise leave her be. There was no point in dragging her back when she didn't want to be here. She wanted to be with Spike which of course led Angel to believe all the more that something was wrong with Spike. Spike who never came back not even to check in and let him know that he was alive. Clearly Buffy was with him. He went back to sparring with Rebecca as though nothing was wrong.

 

Two hours later, they had Buffy located and Angel was informed. He told them to keep an eye on her while he stayed at the office and told Rebecca about his first hand experience with Skilosh demons. She laughed at his witty puns like no one had since Fred. Wesley chimed in and all shared a few monster related jokes. Angel noticed the hour getting late and suggested they all get to sleep. Really he wanted to go out and bring Buffy home.

 

He got her location from the security guys and set out. The address took to a crummy motel on the wrong side of town. The bike parked on the lot was no doubt Spike's. Angel ground his teeth wondering what had happened to his beloved Viper. He went to Spike's room and debating kicking in the door when he noticed the curtain hung far enough from the window for him to see inside. He peered through the glass but he couldn't see more than the TV. That is until he looked down. Buffy was curled up in Spike's lap where they sat on the floor. She was fast asleep. Spike held her watched her as she slept.

 

Angel looked in with longing, missing the days when she was _his_ Buffy and he could hold her that way. He decided it best to leave them be. Or maybe he couldn't bear the rejection when she chose Spike over him.

 

 

 

 


	18. Soul Crushing

 

“You gotta do better than that, Angel,” Rebecca taunted as she danced out of his reach. She dodged his punches with ease, but could never get close enough to land a hit of her own. She hated fighting with her hands. It always felt too close, too rough. The bruises lasted for days no matter how much they tried not to actually hurt each other. At the very least, Wesley let her take more breaks when they fought hand to hand.

 

“Stop squirming away and I would,” Angel laughed.

 

“I'd stop squirming away if you'd stop swinging your arms like a neanderthal,” she joked.

 

“I'll give you a neanderthal.” He tackled her to the floor. They rolled around trying to get on top of the other. Angel finally pinned her and they stopped struggling to laugh.

 

“Stop playing around, this is serious,” Wesley chastised.

 

“Wes we've been training all day,” Rebecca complained.

 

“You can thank me later,” he replied ironically. “Get to it.”

 

Rebecca planted her feet on Angel's hips and pushed him over her head. He rolled gracefully onto his feet as she jumped up onto her own. They started over again.

 

By the time they were finished, they were sweaty and sore. They ordered Chinese and the three of them sat in Wesley's office being careful not to drop blood and rice on any of his books. Wesley tried to give a lesson but Rebecca refused to take him seriously after spending the entire day training. He gave up and put the books aside. While they ate Rebecca talked about her family.

 

“It's always been just me and my dad. Well, we had a dog but he was pretty old and he died a few years ago.”

 

“What about your mother?” Wesley asked. She didn't talk about her parents often and he was curious.

 

“She died when I was six.”

 

“What happened?” Angel asked.

 

“House fire.”

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“That must have been terrible,” Wesley said.

 

“I don't really remember,” she lied with a shrug. “Dad says I look just like her though.”

 

“She must have been very pretty,” Angel said.

 

Rebecca smiled. “Yeah.”

 

***

 

That night, Angel went out looking for Spike and Buffy again. He was a bit worn out from spending the day training with Rebecca, but he wanted to see that Buffy was okay before he turned in for the evening. The motel room was vacant and Spike's bike wasn't on the lot. Angel wasn't sure where to look next. He called the office and asked for their last known location. According to the security team, Spike had taken Buffy to some run down club several blocks away. It was known for its vampire activity and Wolfram & Hart had been called in more than once to clean up any messes with the authorities

 

 _Now I know how he's been feeding her,_ Angel thought with disdain. He drove down the street and parked in the horribly concerning lot. The smell of blood and rot was heavy here. Angel wondered how they disposed of the bodies in the club. By the smell it wouldn't have surprised him to find that they were simply thrown in the back alley dumpster. 

 

He gave him name to the aggressive looking bouncer who nodded and let him inside. He waded through the crowded to reach the bar. It took him a minute to catch the bartenders attention with all the people standing in his way, but finally he came over. “What can I get ya?”

 

“I was wondering if a couple came in here? A man with horribly blond hair and a blonde girl, really short, white dress.”

 

The bartender nodded. “Yeah, though two are in here often. You'll probably find them at the back, just don't cause any trouble.” Angel slipped him a twenty for his time and headed off to find them.

 

The back was dimly lit. You could tell the humans from the vampires by how frequently they bumped into people they couldn't see. He got several territorial looks from a few vampires as they passed him by. A woman bumped into him and the vampire on her arm growled at Angel to keep his distance. Angel stood with his back to the wall and looked out across the crowd. He didn't see them at any of the tables or the sofa. They didn't seem to be on the dance floor, but it was hard to tell one person from the next let alone see their faces. The stench of blood grew strong again as someone opened the back door. Angel turned in time to see a leather duster disappear behind the door.

 

He followed Spike into the back. The pair walked down the darkened hallway and turned into an open room on the left. Angel brushed past the couples lining the hallway. He looked into the room where Buffy and Spike had gone. He couldn't see anything but Spike's back and so knowing he'd likely get caught, he entered the room. Angel was shocked to see his fears being realized as he watch Spike wrap a woman and his arms and tear into her throat. Buffy did the same with her own victim. Angel stared wide-eyed at the display.

 

Finally, Buffy saw him standing there and met his eyes. “The hero's come,” she said to Spike. Spike turned, dropping the body to the ground. He smiled with blood stained teeth. Buffy growled behind him. “You're covered in her. Got her swan feathers caught in your hair.”

 

Angel looked from Spike to Buffy uncertain of where to start. Spike was clearly the more pressing matter. “You took your soul out. How?”

 

“Same way I put it. I asked nicely.”

 

Angel glared. “Why? For Buffy? That's not what she needs Spike.”

 

“Right, 'cause you were doing a bang up job teaching her to be a good little monster. Lettin' her feed on whoever she pleases. This _is_ what she needs. Don't you see? She doesn't care about saving people, Angel. She just wants blood. I'm here to keep her from getting into trouble.”

 

“Is that what you're doing? This whole scene doesn't look like trouble to you?”

 

Spike laughed. “Take a look around. The vampires here are free to do as they like and that law firm of yours cleans up the mess.”

 

Angel was conflicted. He wanted Buffy to be happy and Spike was right, this was a good place for Buffy to have anything she wanted and Spike would be there to keep any problems with local clans arising. On the other hand, they were killing people he'd made a promise to protect. He'd let them, they'd killed right in front of his face and he wasn't even sure if he could feel it. He felt nothing for the people who lay dead at his feet. They meant nothing. They were food for his childer. He was confident he'd feel it later, regardless of what happened next. He could Spike to try to make to it right, but nothing could ever justify murder and he'd be left with both the guilt and loss of his favorite childe. He could just walk away. He was _so_ tempted to. 

 

The strain was visible on his face and Spike wondered what he'd decide. He braced himself for a fight. Buffy on the other hand, could think of nothing but how much she could smell Rebecca. They'd clearly been all over each other. She had touched him. Probably put that bruise there on the underside of his chin. She growled again. Spike tensed at the sound.

 

“I'm taking Buffy home with me.”

 

“No-”

 

“You will do no such thing,” Buffy asserted. “ _You_ smell like slayer. I won't go near it.”

 

“Buffy-” Angel started.

 

“No. I don't like her. The swan must be destroyed. She can't be allowed to do this. Blood will be spilt but it's not to be cried over. She changes the story.” She tried to move to the door, but Angel stepped in front of her. She glared, staring him in the eye. Angel stopped before he could even speak. He stared back suddenly hypnotized by her gaze. She left him there in a daze as she swept out of the building and headed for Wolfram & Hart with no one to stop her.

 

Buffy made it back to Wolfram & Hart and went into Angel's office. She went over to the desk and started hunting through the drawers spilling the contents all over the floor. She searched for a while before she found what she was looking for. She smiled as she held the small green amulet in her hands.

 

“Halfrek, I summon you.” Grey smoke rose up from the ground and Halfrek appeared.

 

“What is- You again? Didn't you get what you want?”

 

“Not yet.”

 

Halfrek nodded. “I see. Men can be so stubborn.”

 

“Can you fix him?”

 

“It is within my power, yes.”

 

“Can you make it permanent?”

 

“If you wish it be so.”

 

“Then I wish for Angel to lose his soul, forever.”

 

The doors flew open as Spike stormed in, but the wish was granted and Halfrek disappeared. Spike watched the vengeance demon vanish in a swirl of smoke.

 

“Buffy. What have you done?”

 

“I fixed him.” She smiled. “He won't feel it now. We can be family,” she said excitedly.

 

The doors opened again. This time Rebecca came in. She stopped when she saw the vampires. “Uh. I hope I'm not interrupting or anything. I was looking for Angel.”

 

“Angel is no more,” Buffy told her with a pleased smile.

 

***

 

“Buffy!” Spike called after her, but she was long gone. “Angel?”

 

Angel blinked his eyes appearing though just waking from a dream. “Uh... what was that?”

 

“You tell me. All she did was look you.”

 

“It was like I was frozen. I couldn't move. I hardly wanted to.”

 

“Right. We'd better go after her.”

 

“What do you care?”

 

Spike rolled his eyes. “Well whatever she'd up to it can't be very good now can it? I don't want her getting into any trouble.” He hurried after Buffy. “You coming?” He called over his shoulder.

 

Angel rubbed the haze away from his eyes before following Spike. They left the club and followed Buffy's scent all the way to Wolfram & Hart. “We should split up,” Angel said. “I'll go check on Rebecca. You check my office.”

 

“Got it.”

 

Angel ran to the elevator and began the irritatingly slow climb to the right floor. The door was locked when he reached Rebecca's room. There was no time for knocking so he kicked it open. It was empty. Not a trace of her and no sign that Buffy had been there. He went back to the elevator and downstairs. He checked the training area and finally went to Wesley's office.

 

“Wes. Have you seen Rebecca?”

 

Wesley looked up from the blade he was cleaning. “She was looking for you. I believe she's in your office now.”

 

Angel turned on the spot and ran across the lobby. He threw the doors open to his office and ran inside. He didn't see anything more than the forms of various people in the room before he was filled with a blinding pain. He fell to his knees groaning and yelling as the pain burned through him.

 

Finally, the pain was gone. To Angelus, it felt like waking up. It was as if someone else had been wearing his body and he'd finally been released from his cage. He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of his old office. _Angel's_ office. He was lying on his back with Buffy, Spike, and Rebecca staring down at him.

 

“Angel? Are you alright? What happened?” Rebecca asked in a panic.

 

The pain faded as Angelus looked up into her eyes. “Uh, Rebecca. I'm” He groaned as he sat up. “I'm alright. What happened?”


	19. Swan Song

 

Angelus sat behind Angel's old desk. The whole crew (Wesley, Gunn, Spike, Buffy, Rebecca, Loren, and Harmony) stood in front of him. “I told you, I don't know what happened. One minute I was fine and the next everyone's hovering over me.”

 

Wesley and Gunn exchanged looks. Both was deeply suspicious about the situation. “What exactly did it feel like?” Wesley asked.

 

“I don't know. I told you I was fine. I didn't feel anything.”

 

“It looked to me like he was in pain,” Rebecca offered.

 

“Sounded like it too,” Spike added. Angelus internally glared.

 

“Well, one to find out,” Loren said. “Sing for me Angel cakes.”

 

“Angelus has gotten past that test before,” Wesley pointed out.

 

“I was off my game. If Angel's gone soulless I'll catch it this time,” Loren argued.

 

“No, we'll need to be sure,” Wesley said.

 

“Oh, I can be sure,” Loren said irritated.

 

“Guys,” Gunn interrupted. “Spike, isn't there some way you could tell? I mean being a vampire you should be able to tell right?”

 

“Sorry, mate,” Spike said.

 

“Unless you're just covering for Angelus,” Wesley said.

 

“ _Me_? Covering for Angelus? I don't owe that sorry git anything. I wouldn't cover him with a blanket if he stood in the blazing hot sun.”

 

“Except he _is_ your sire,” Wesley said.

 

“No, Dru's my sire.”

 

“Drusilla is _insane_.”

 

“This isn't helping,” Rebecca said.

 

“She's right,” Gunn said. “We need a solution.”

 

All was quiet for a moment as they all tried to think of some way to solve their mess. “We should contain him,” Wesley said. “Just until we can be sure.”

 

“Don't you think that's a bit excessive?” Harmony asked. “I mean he could be sick or something right?”

 

“Vampires don't get sick,” Wesley reminded her.

 

“Oh, yeah.”

 

They all seemed to agree (with the exception of Buffy) that Angel should be held in one of the cells usually reserved for Nina. Gunn and Spike escorted Angelus downstairs. Buffy followed, refusing to leave Angelus alone. Spike and Gunn went back upstairs to talk to the others leaving Buffy and Angelus alone.

 

Buffy wrapped her hands around the bars and grinned at the vampire that stood on the other side. He smiled back. “I suppose I have you to thank for this.” Buffy nodded. “Good girl.” He smirked. “Now, while I'm down here, I need you to be my eyes and ears. Get back upstairs and find out what's going on. Don't let them know what you've done. Oh and, tell Rebecca I wanna see her.”  
  


Buffy pouted, but went upstairs anyway. The gang was bickering in Angel's office and was causing a lot of whispered gossip to spread through the building. Buffy could hear the lawyers sharing confused comments as they tried to get a good look through the office windows. Wesley and Gunn insisted Angel was dangerous while Loren and Rebecca weren't sure and Spike refused to be helpful. Buffy sat quietly and watched the conversation go back and forth. Harmony came in to remind them of the meeting they were delaying with all their shouting. Everyone dispersed and got back to work leaving Spike, Buffy, and Rebecca alone in Angel's office.

 

Buffy looked at Rebecca with intense eyes and silently wish she would evaporate where she stood. “Angel wanted to talk to you,” she said.

 

“Oh. I'll go see what he wants then,” Rebecca said looking uncomfortable. She left the room quickly.

 

Once they were alone, Buffy turned to Spike with a pout on her face. “Why didn't you help?”

 

“Help Angelus? Why would I? Why would _you_ bring him back?” Spike said angrily. “No don't answer that. You wanted a big happy family. _I_ wasn't good enough for you. You needed Angelus.”

 

“Spike.”

 

“No. I'm sick of this Buffy. I take care of you. I do a damn good job of it. We were happy. Angelus won't care for you. He'll use you and he'll treat you like a toy like he did Dru. He finished with her and went back to Darla. This won't be any different.” Spike sighed. “You keep going back to him. He had a soul and he still didn't care for you. Angelus never knew how to love. He doesn't care to learn either. Don't think this is going to go well for you, pet.” Spike swept out of the room and was off with no real destination.

 

Buffy stared after him. She was greatly upset that she'd hurt him, but she was still feeling pretty pleased about her plan. She'd gotten Angelus and she had Spike. They could be together. Spike and Angelus would fight but it would be alright, because they'd be together and they'd be family. She sat down in Angel's chair and waited for Rebecca to come back upstairs so she could go be with him again.

 

_Rebecca was young. She was ran across a plowed corn field tripping every so often over one of the longer stalks. The stalks stabbed at her feet, but she ignored it. She was tough and the leather of her boots protected her from the worst of it. She heard her mother call again for her to come inside. Rebecca looked behind her at the sky and imagined she was racing the sunset. She had to get back before the sky went dark and the sun was gone. She made it home as her mother set the last dish on the table. Her muddy boots were left by the door and her went to the bathroom to wash her hands. Her mother smiled at her as she sat in her usual sat._

 

_Her father came in and kissed her mother before he too sat at the dining table. He commented on the dirt covering most of her face but he did so with adoration at his playful, spirited daughter. They family shared their warm home cooked meal as they talked about work, school, and the dog that was adopted by the local gas station._

 

_Later, mother and father put their daughter to bed. There were kisses and hugs as well as that age old saying about bed bugs. The parents went to bed as well, expect for the father who stepped outside to get some fresh air. The fire burned bright in the bedroom. It flickered and crackled in the fireplace as loving mother laying sleeping soundly in her bed. A single cinder leapt forth and unhindered by the grate lay burning on the rug. By the time the smoke reached the man on the deck, the entire room had been engulfed by the flames._

 

Buffy gasped as she was thrown suddenly from her vision. I her heart still beat, it would have pounded through her chest. She felt a bit dizzy from the vividness of the image, but it passed after a moment. She saw Rebecca walking through the lobby and knew Angelus would be finally be alone.

 

***

Angelus leaned against the cell wall. He stared up at the ceiling waiting patiently. He heard footsteps coming his way and he smirked. Rebecca walked up to his cage and looked at him concerned. It was clear that she didn't want to believe what the others were saying, but she wasn't stupid enough to throw caution to the wind.

 

“Are you alright?” She asked. Angelus found it amusing that she would be concerned about him. Of course he was alright. He was better than alright.

 

“I'm fine. Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah. What happened back there?”

 

“I don't know. It's like I just blacked out for a second.”

 

“Why do think you lost your soul? Does that happen a lot?”

 

He nodded. “It's happened a few times. Every time it does... some one important to me dies. They were right to lock to me up.”

 

“But you didn't... You're still you. I mean... It seems like it to me.” She looked at him thoughtfully.

 

“I'm still me, but the others won't trust me until they're sure. They have good reason to be afraid. Angelus is a monster. He's vicious and ruthless.”

 

“Angelus... that's what you were called... before.”

 

“Yeah. That's who I am when I don't have a soul. But I'm alright. They'll see it's still me and everything will be fine. Then we can spend some time figuring out what happened.”

 

“People don't just go blacking out. I should go back upstairs and see if I can find any clues that might point us in the right direction.”

 

“Thank you. It means a lot.” He walked to the edge of the cage and wrapped his hands around the bars.

 

She put her hand over his. “No problem.” She left in search of clues for a mystery that didn't exist and Angelus was left to revel in his near victory.

 

***

Buffy found Angelus sitting on the floor of his cage. She looked at his curiously. He smiled at her. “Time to go,” He told her. She smiled and stuck her right hand through the bars. She'd found a small screw driver and a paper clip in Angel's desk which she handed over to Angelus. It didn't take him very long to pick the lock on the door and he was free. He wrapped an arm around Buffy's shoulders and they went upstairs.

 

Back in the lobby they were spotted by a young lawyer that Angelus recognized but didn't remember what division he was from. “Mr. Angel,” he said approaching them. Angelus shook his hand dropping his arm from Buffy's shoulder. “I need to talk to you about my case. The Williams' case.” Angelus looked disinterested. “It's very important. Please, sir. It will only take a second. I just need you to look at something.” Angelus let the man lead him into his office with Buffy following behind. The lawyer closed the door once they were inside and went to his desk to get the file. When the man turned around he was greeted by the vampire's true face. He dropped the file in surprise. Angelus grabbed him and tore into his throat.

 

Angelus left the body on the after wiping his face on the man's collar. He led Buffy out closing the door behind them. They went back to Angel's office. Angelus lounged on the sofa while Buffy danced around the room looking the happiest he's ever seen her. He smiled.

 

***

Gunn and Wesley watched Spike storm out of the building from Wesley's office. He disappeared into the city on his bike. “We should go after him,” Wesley suggested.

 

“Why?”

 

“If we're right, and I do believe we are, Angelus is in that cage. Spike is best equipped to deal with him. Angelus is a very old vampire. We might not be able to take care of on our own. We should have Spike there just in case.”

 

“Spike made it clear he didn't want to be involved.”

 

“Spike has a soul. Angelus is a danger to every life in this building and then some. He won't have a choice.”

 

“What if he doesn't?”  
  


“He will.”

 

“No I mean. What is he doesn't have a soul? He was gone a long time. I think even Angel was starting to suspect that he might have found a way to get rid of it.”

 

“Even so, Spike and Angelus have a bone deep rivalry. Even with his soul he wanted Angel dead. Now there's nothing to hold him back from killing him, not a soul, not us, not Buffy. As a matter of fact, he would probably want to kill Angelus to have Buffy to himself.”

 

“That's right. Okay, let's go find him.”

 

They got Spike's known locations from the security crew who had been keeping tabs on him. They took Wesley's car and drove by the motel. The lot was entirely bare. They moved on to next, but he wasn't at the club either. Spike had only been seen at several other very common places. Gas stations and grocery stores that were hardly worth checking but they swung past anyway. They were going to go back and check the motel again when they saw his bike parked on the side of the road. It was in front of an old apartment building. The front door was locked, only to be opened by the tenants of the building. They nearly gave up when Gunn heard shuffling in the side alley.

 

They found Spike with a man in his arms draining the life from his throat. Spike tossed the body to the ground and looked at them.

 

“Well that answers that question,” Gunn said.

 

“We need your help,” Wesley stated.

 

Spike nearly laughed. “What could you possibly need my help with?”

 

“Angelus.”

 

Spike rolled his eyes. “I thought that was up for debate.”

 

“We're not stupid, Spike. We know he's Angelus,” Gunn said.

 

“Aren't you? Then why'd you leave him alone. You do know that by now, Buffy has found a way to let him out?”

 

“I have to key,” Wesley said.

 

“It doesn't take a key to open a lock.”

 

“All the more reason for you to come back with us. If he's free, we have even less of a chance of killing him.”

 

“Killing him? You mean you aren't just gonna stick a soul in him again?”

 

“No. This keeps happening no matter what we do,” Gunn said.

 

“We can't risk any more lives for Angel's sake,” Wesley said.

 

“Alright. I'm in, but when this is over, me and Buffy are getting out of here. I hear there's a nice Hellmouth up in Cleveland.”

 

Gunn nodded. “Let's just go. I want this over.”

 

***

Rebecca went to the security office to look over the security camera. She'd watched the feed several times. All she could see was Angel collapsing onto the floor and the others running over to him. She went back several minutes to see if anyone had been in the room. She saw Buffy run into the room and take something from Angel's desk. The camera didn't seem to agree with whatever happened next as there was a just a bright glowing spot in the center of the screen. That must have been the cause of whatever happened to Angel. It looked mystical and powerful.

 

She sighed and moved to leave when her eyes caught the current feed on the screen behind her. Angel was sitting on the couch while Buffy skipped around like a child. What was he doing out of the cage? He agreed that he should be in there. There was no way Wesley had let him out. She wasn't stupid. She could put the pieces together.

 

Rebecca left the security office and went upstairs to her room to get supplies. She grabbed a stake and a bottle of holy water. She wasn't strong enough to take him out on her own, but she thought she might be able to cripple him enough to give her a chance. She called Wesley's office and then Gunn's and got no response. She resolved to end Angelus herself.

 

She took the elevator down and crossed the lobby. Outside Angel's office doors, she took a deep breath. Then,she went inside.

 

Buffy stopped her dancing and backed away. She smiled excitedly. Angelus remained as he was. Laid back and radiating confidence. “Rebecca, glad you could make it.”

 

Her eyes narrowed. “You really did lose your soul. I didn't want to believe it.”

 

Angelus's face turned to mock pity. “No of course not. Who would want to lose the hero of their heart? Their champion.” He stood up and stepped right into her personal space not fearing the stake clenched in her hand.

 

“I'm gonna kill you,” she growled.

 

Angelus smirked. “I don't think so. At least not without some heart felt begging me to 'look inside, there must be some part of you that remembers who are' and a boat load of those girly tears,” he mocked.

 

“No. I think I'd like to skip ahead to the killing you part.” She raised her left hand quickly, throwing holy water in his face. He stepped back growling and holding his burning flesh. She didn't give him a chance to recover before she kicked him hard in the chest and sent him to the floor.

 

Buffy sputtered and hissed. She was across the room in an instant grabbing Rebecca by the collar and tossing her straight up to the ceiling. She collided with the light fixture spilling sparks and broken glass all over the room. Rebecca lay on the floor cut and bruised. Angelus got his feet.

 

“Stay over there,” he told Buffy, irritated by her interference. Buffy went and sat on Angel's desk.

 

Angelus grabbed Rebecca and pulled her to her feet. She shoved him back away from her and spotted her stake on the floor near the window. Angelus saw it too. She dove for meaning to roll across the floor and scoop it up. Angelus caught her by the arm and pulled her back.

 

“No you don't. We're just getting started.”

 

Rebecca used her free hand to punch him in the jaw. He inadvertently dropped her arm and she ran to grab her stake. She held it in front of her in her clenched fist. “It's time to end this,” she said.

 

“What ever you say darlin'.”

 

She dove at him but her knocked her hand away before she get touch him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her closer to give her a small kiss. “I just want to make you happy,” he said. He bent her wrist back, breaking it and causing her to drop the steak. Triumph washed over him as he bit into her neck. He drained her slowing savoring his victory.

 

Wesley, Gunn, and Spike didn't even to make it into the building by the time she was gone. They found Angel's office empty save for Rebecca's lifeless body and all the broken glass. Spike disappeared while they busy with the sudden influx of emotions. He went down to the garage and found Buffy and Angelus waiting for him in Angel's old Plymouth.

 

***

 

They drove until the sun began to rise before finally pulling over and nabbing a hotel room. Of course, Angelus would have no less the best and made certain to get the best suite at the nicest hotel in the area. The room was big and lavishly decorated with two bedrooms attached to the den. Spike rolled his eyes when he entered the room. _A room with a set of double beds would have done just fine._ He thought.

 

They closed all the curtains in every room before heading to bed. Angelus took the slightly larger room with the king sized bed for himself. Spike once again rolled his eyes, this time at Angelus's predictability. Buffy stood between the two doors completely torn as to who's bed to share. She spent most nights with Spike so she was felt more comfortable with him, but she'd worked so hard to get Angelus back it didn't seem right to just ignore him. Nor, did she want to offend him and cause more friction between the boys.

 

Finally, she decided the couch was the least confusing of sleeping places. She kicked off her shoes and curled up on the plush cushions. She fell fast asleep with a smile on her face.


	20. Family of Blood

 

The sun was nearly set when Angelus woke. He arched his back and stretched. He looked across the bed somewhat surprised to find it empty. He got out of bed and smoothed his wrinkled clothes. He'd have to go shopping before they moved one. Angelus wouldn't be seen looking so unkempt.

 

Buffy was asleep on the sofa when he walked into the den. Spike was still in bed. Angelus could see him through the open door. He gently shook Buffy awake.

 

“Did you sleep here all night?” She nodded sleepily and yawned. “Why?” She shrugged. “It's alright, you can tell me.”

 

“Well I was going to sleep with Spike, but I didn't want you to think I liked him more.”

 

“Why would I think that? How could you like ol' Spikey over me?” He grinned. “You wanna shower?” He nodded to the bathroom. Buffy shook her head. Angelus left her on the sofa. He eyes shot daggers at the sleeping vampire in the other room before he closed the door to the bathroom.

 

Buffy bit her lip, knowing the rivalry was doomed to flare up between them. She heard the shower start up. Within seconds, Spike was up and stretching. He came into the living room, shirtless and with his hair messy from sleep. He sat down on the sofa next to Buffy.

 

“Morning, pet.”

 

She smiled at him. “Morning.”

 

“Did you sleep on the sofa last night?” He noticed the messed up pillows. She nodded. “Don't suppose Angelus has offered you breakfast yet.”

 

She shook her head.

 

“Just like him, sodding poof.” He patted her knee. “Well, I'm offerin'. Let's go get breakfast.” He got up and went back to the bedroom to get dressed. He came back and offered his hand to Buffy. She took it and he led her downstairs and away from the hotel.

 

They came back to an irritated Angelus and a dead maid who had apparently come up to offer them clean towels. “Where have you been?” he snapped.

 

“We took a walk.”

 

“A walk?”

 

“Yeah, Angelus. A walk.”

 

Buffy could feel the tension ready to snap and set off a chemical explosion. She inched away from the scene and to the side of the room.

 

“Without my permission?”

 

“Oh don't you start with that. You aren't the only master vampire in the room you know.”

 

“You may be a master vampire, but you'll never be the head of any clan I'm a part of.”

 

“No one invited you into this clan.”

 

“I believe Buffy when she tore out my soul.”

 

“We all make mistakes.”

 

“Not killing you the moment I laid eyes on you was one of them.”

 

“Like-”

 

“Stop it!” Buffy shrieked. The boys looked at her in shock. “I won't have it! It's my game I'm writing the rules. No fighting, just family.”

 

They stared at her with open mouths. They didn't seem to be getting her message, so she made it clear. She stormed into the largest bedroom and shut the door, locking it behind her.

 

Spike and Angelus stood and stared at each other. After a moment, Angelus sat down on the couch. He looked toward the closed door as though expecting her to come out and explain. Spike sat down on the other end.

 

“She has a point.”

 

Angelus nodded. “Buffy's independent. She doesn't need either of us to rule over her.”

 

“She never did. Even before... We were just... comfort,” Spike realized. “What are we fighting over?”

 

Neither of them knew the answer.

 

***

3 Months Later

 

Buffy walked down the street with a vampire on either arm. Spike on her left and Angelus on her right. She was smiling as they walked. The bright and colorful lights caught her eye and she watched them pulse and glow. These nights were her favorite. All three of them out together. They were happy, they were carefree, and the Hellmouth was theirs.

 

She could feel it down below. It was a great black orb of chaotic energy. The teeth of the Earth held back an unstoppable force of malice and destruction. Even Angelus wouldn't enjoy that kind of chaos and he'd eaten a teacher on an overnight field trip just to see how the kids would react. Buffy thought it was funny, but Spike just kinda rolled his eyes. That was when they'd first arrived in Cleveland. Things were better now.

 

Spike and Angelus were back to behaving like brothers. Buffy had seen visions of them acting this way. She wondered what came between them in the first place, but she never saw. They talked and joked and spared like the best of friends. Sometimes Buffy liked to just sit and watch them interact. It made her happy to watch them together.

 

It was early in the evening and Buffy was starting to get hungry. She tugged on either boy's arm to get their attention. “Let's eat,” she suggested.

 

They cornered a pair of young girls as they left the theater. Buffy drew them into the alley as Spike and Angelus trapped them from the other side.

 

Both girls were very short. One was blonde and athletic looking, possibly a cheerleader. While the other had dark hair and piercing eyes. Buffy found the blonde girl strangely irritating. She wanted to see her killed. She pictured her rotting corpse in her mind. Fleshing melting away leaving nothing but bones and blonde hair. She'd burn that hair. Set it on fire, but the bones could stay. They could stay right where they were because Buffy didn't mind them.

 

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see that Angelus had his arms around the blonde girl. He was tearing into her neck while Spike did the same with the other. Spike looked up from his victim and noticed Buffy standing to the side. She liked to just watch sometimes so he didn't think much of it until he noticed she was shaking. He tossed the drained body to the ground.

 

“Buffy? You alright, pet?” he asked.

 

She wrapped her arms around herself and stared down at the blonde girl lying dead on the ground. Her body was trembling.

 

“What is it?” Angelus asked setting a hand on her shoulder. “What's wrong?”

 

“Blonde,” she whispered.

 

“Her hair?” Spike asked.

 

Buffy nodded.

 

“What's wrong with it?”

 

“Blonde. Yellow. Golden.” She shook her head. “It's wrong.”

 

“Let's get her home,” Angelus suggested.

 

The three of them had been staying in an old abandoned manor just outside of the city. It was big, dark, and creepy. Angelus loved it. He'd bought the place under a false name and they moved in after spending a night buying unreasonable amounts of furniture to fill it with.

 

They took Buffy home and carried her up to her room. She was still shaking and staring straight ahead with unblinking eyes. They set her on her bed and watched her for a few minutes, but she didn't respond to either of their voices. She just sat and shook and muttered about golden hair. Angelus got bored and left the room to busy himself with something else while he waited for her make sense. Spike sat on the seat at the end of her bed.

 

He could feel himself becoming drowsy from the warm blood. He stood up and went into the bathroom. He splashed his face with cold water from the sink and dried it on the towel. He looked at the empty, reflections mirror. He thought that they should probably remove all of the mirrors before they triggered Buffy into another fit.

 

Spike went back into the bedroom to find Buffy standing by the dresser with a pair of scissors. Spike ran to her and took the scissors from her hand before she could start cutting away at her long yellow hair.

 

“Buffy, no!” He scolded.

 

“Yes! Spike I _need_ to,” she whined.

 

“What for?”

 

“It's wrong. I can't... I don't want it!” She was frustrated by her inability to communicate the importance of the situation. She swiped her arms over the top of the dresser tossing everything to the floor. She wrapped her hands in her hair and tugged as though trying to pull it out.

 

“Buffy stop!”

 

Angelus ran into the room. “What's wrong?”

 

“Her hair.”

 

“It's wrong.” She nodded.

 

“Your hair is wrong?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“What if it wasn't blonde?” Spike asked.

 

Buffy looked confused.

 

“You could dye it black. It would never have to be yellow again.”

 

Angelus pouted. “I like her yellow hair.”

 

“Me too, but if it upsets Buffy we can change it.”

 

Buffy thought a moment before she nodded. “Let's change it,” she said.

 

“Alright,” Spike said. Angelus stayed with Buffy while Spike went to the store for hair dye.

 

When he got back, Angelus was holding Buffy in his arms and telling her a story about a kid in Ireland. It probably ended with the kid dying horribly when Angelus got a hold of him.

 

He showed Buffy the dye and she hurried into the bathroom. Spike helped her color it. Spike and Angelus had a time convincing her she had to leave it alone for half an hour before she could see. They distracted her with an old action movie Angelus found in the trunk of Angel's car.

 

Finally, they rinsed her hair clean and dried it. Buffy was ecstatic. She jumped up and down and kissed them both calling them her heros. Angelus laughed and Spike smiled before cleaning up the mess in the bathroom.

 

When he was done, Buffy grabbed both of their hands and demanded they all go to bed.

 

“Alright, love we'll take you to bed,” Spike told her.

 

“No. We all go to bed. Together.”

 

Angelus laughed. “You want us all to share a bed?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Spike shrugged. “Why not?”

 

“Alright. Let's go to bed,” Angelus said.

 

Buffy smiled and led the way upstairs. She curled up under the blankets. Spike kicked his boots off and joined her. “Can you get the light then, sire?” Spike asked.

 

Angelus smirked. “I've got it, lad.”

 

They all curled up and spent the night in each other's arms.

 

~Fin~

**Author's Note:**

> All quotes from the show do not belong to me and come from [here](http://vrya.net/bdb/index.php)  
> [Follow my writing blog](http://babybatscreations.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


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